Falmouth Pilot Gig Club hosted their first racing event for over two years and it was an judged to be outstanding success by all.

Staff from Falmouth Harbour Commissioners liaised with Nick Maxted chair of the Falmouth Club and gave permission for racing in the inner harbour with gigs being launched from the Watersports slipway.

Teams from Flushing and Mylor, Truro, Roseland, Pendeen, Gorran, Helford, Devoran and EpicGIGability, the new club for Service veterans based at Ponsharden.

A series of sprint races in the inner harbour culminated in a race from Black Rock to the finishing line adjacent to County wharf.

For EpicEnergy the latest gig to participate is was a dream come true for club members.

In March this year thirteen Military Veterans and a civilian met at Kiln Quay in Flushing to see what gig rowing was about, two crews took to the water and EPIC GIGability was born.

The civilian and the man behind the idea, Mike Selwood was part of the 2016 "Great Big Cornish Gig Project" at the National Maritime Museum Cornwall, which saw a group of wounded, injured and sick Veterans build a Cornish Pilot Gig named Valliant and row it to the Isles of Scilly in the "EPIC Row". Mike and the other Trustees had a vision of continuing that mental and physical focus for current and future Service Veterans.

EPIC GIGability, the Service Veterans Pilot Gig Club was up and running, the intention; "to provide a sport pathway for all Service Veterans towards a healthier, fitter lifestyle and improved well-being, where able members actively engage with less able members to mentor and support, demonstrating there should be no barriers to enjoying sport and that “Every Person Is Capable”.

EPIC has come a long way, the first months saw the club only able to row through the support and help of other gig clubs, Devoran and Mylor & Flushing in particular who lent gigs, coxn's and the odd rower but more importantly gave advice, encouragement and support.

In the background whilst all this was going on students at Falmouth Marine School were building a gig. A traditional, wooden Cornish Pilot Gig, built by local students and rowed by local Veterans.

EPIC ENERGY is a very special gig, commissioned by the Cornish Pilot Gig Association (CPGA) to represent 35 years of governing the sport. It was kept under wraps as the students worked to complete it.

An increasing number of Veterans continued to turn up to row throughout the summer using the CPGA's loan of a "Gig In A Box" project. This really is a gig in a box, a GRP gig, oars, cushions, everything you need to get a club up and running, having secured its own gig the Veterans moved to Ponsharden to launch and base themselves.

On September 9 Alexandra Bolitho, wife of the Lord Lieutenant named the gig EPIC ENERGY at Ponsharden which took to the water for the first time. Two experienced coxswains Greg Carroll and Anne Oliver cox the new gig.

The Falmouth Club still uses the original gig Energy built in 1985 by students at Falmouth Marine College who were supervised by Ralph Bird and Ted Pentecost. Ralph went on to build a further 29 pilot gigs for clubs in Cornwall, Devon and Wales. Ted started Falmouth Gig Club in 1985 the year Energy was built.