Salcombe Estuary Rowing Club

Club members were out in force at the annual Three Rivers Race in Plymouth.

Three ladies’ crews and three men’s battled it out against the elements and the 76 other gigs taking part in this gruelling six-mile race on the Tamar.

It marks the first race of the gig-rowing calendar and is certainly one of the toughest, with most clubs trying out their best crews.

First up was the ladies’ race followed by the men. The times are added together at the end to give an overall position for each gig taking part.

The two A crews opted to row Wolf with their new oars. Although she is not the newest gig, she is possibly still the fastest – and certainly the most loved.

Both crews were looking to build on last year’s achievements – and they didn’t have long to wait. Kingsbridge Community College student Gemma Norris, who is only just 16, made her debut in the A crew, as did promising new rower Rebecca Weare. They must have wondered what they had let themselves in for when they lined up in group one against the top crews.

They finished the day as the ninth-fastest ladies crew out of 77 gigs in the race, a result that left them well pleased with their efforts.

Well done the news girls for hanging on in there when the going got tough.

The men’s A crew have been training hard all winter and this pack of hungry wolves were sharpening their claws for a kill long before the start of the race. There were old scores to settle.

They flew off the start in search of their prey and were drawn into an epic battle with Bristol, finalists at last year’s World Championships.

The lead changed hands several times. The two crews are friends and close rivals, and were determined not to let the other crew have it. Bristol overtook Salcombe in the latter stages of the race, but Wolf was not done. Creeping up on the ­rudder of Bristol, they awaited their opportunity and pounced on the last turning mark.

New rower in the crew Richard Lock heaved the boat round as the two boats came alongside. Bristol were dead meat and Wolf had her day.

The result put the men’s A crew in fifth place overall, posting a warning of their intentions to all those gigs hoping for a place in the final of the coming Gig Championships.

The combined result with the ladies’ placed Wolf sixth overall out of 79 gigs taking part. This means they are top dogs outside Cornwall and they are licking their lips at the prospect of the next race.

In the B and C crews, racing in Cadmus and Bolt respectively, there were several rowers doing their first big race in both the ladies’ and men’s crews.

Row of the day must go to Sue Hutch, however. She stood in as stroke of ladies B, and as a super super super vet she must have been the oldest ­competitor in the race – and very proud to be so.

The crew achieved a very respectable 26th place: quite an achievement and a model for other rowers to follow.

The men’s B finished a very good 36th and the ladies’ and men’s C crews a hard-earned 56th and 62nd respectively.

The club would like to thank the Caradon Club, who hosted the event, for the massive amount of work involved. Thanks also to all those hardy soles who took part. May your blisters and aching limbs recover quickly – Dartmouth is just around the corner.