Devon enters Tier 3

On 30th December, Devon was moved into tier 3 along with many other parts of the country. At the time of writing this, all of England is in either tier 3 or 4 with the exception of the Isles of Scilly.

The move from tier 2 to tier 3 has no effect on the rules for outdoor sport, and so gig rowing will continue. The club is mindful of the increased number of cases of Covid-19 nationally and locally and will continue to monitor the situation. We have reminded all members to continue to follow our Code of Conduct and be vigilant around cleanliness, social distancing and the wearing of face masks.

Remembrance Sunday 2020

Torridge Pilot Gig Club were proud to be represented once more at the Appledore Remembrance Sunday gathering at the War Memorial. The event was much reduced this year and all present observed the necessary precautions around Covid. A wreath was laid in our name to remember all those from the community who have lost their lives during both World Wars and subsequent conflicts.

Here we go again

So, it will come as no surprise to anyone that events have caught up with us all once more and that rowing is a casualty of the lockdown starting tomorrow. This means a pause in rowing activities for all clubs including ours.

Stay safe everyone and we look forward to being back on the water just as soon as we possibly can.

Clarification from British Rowing on the effect of the new Government guidance

“British Rowing has clarified that new legal limitations on group sizes in England will not affect organised sporting activity and as such no changes will be made to the Return to Rowing guidance in relation to either competition or club activity. This is because a club/competition following our guidance will have appropriate COVID-Secure precautions in place. As stated in our guidance, groups sizes and mixing between different groups should be kept to a minimum.”

Torridge Pilot Gig Club have a Code of Conduct in place based on British Rowing guidelines that all members must abide by on and off the water, covering cleaning, social distancing and face coverings, and so will continue to row safely in accordance with the above.

Honorary Members

The club is delighted to announce that Barrie and Marian Parsons have been made Honorary Life Members of Torridge Pilot Gig Club.

Barrie and Marian have been great supporters over the years, and this seemed a fitting way to honour and thank them.

We look forward to their continued support and friendship in future.

Return to rowing

So, after a long break, British Rowing has announced that all rowing, including gigs, can start again on 29th August 2020.

The club committee has been hard at work trying to come up with the necessary safeguards, protocols and equipment to protect our members and the public alike. We have produced a new Code of Conduct that all members must adhere to, which describes how members must maintain spacing and cleanliness throughout the launching and retrieval of boats, and while on the water.

This is a testing time for us all but we hope that everyone will be able to safely enjoy the return to rowing.