Over the weekend of July 20 and 21, Newhaven plays host to the first ever Cornish gig rowing regatta in Sussex.
MEMBERS of the Newhaven Gig Rowing Club have been busy putting together a busy schedule of races which will take place on the sea and the river — and the club is keen for people in Newhaven to enjoy the excitement and perhaps be inspired to give gig rowing a try themselves.
Cornish gigs are 32 foot long, six-oared rowing boats built to a specific design which dates back to 1838. They were used as pilot boats to guide larger vessels into harbour and also as seagoing lifeboats. They’re now rowed competitively, and local rivalries abound — the Newhaven regatta will see around half a dozen visiting clubs from across England compete, including Lewes Rowing Club and the newly-formed Lewes Pilot Gig Club.
Spectators will get a good view of the sea races on Saturday, July 20 from the East Pier and tide mills and Seaford beach.
There will be six races between 1-7pm. On Sunday 21 there will be a series of sprint races upriver from the harbour mouth from 11am.
The weekend will culminate in the Head of the Ouse river race starting from Southease bridge at 3pm. There will be good viewing spots from the riverbank and on Huggett’s Green.
The club is also hoping to live stream drone footage of the races via Facebook.
For more details, click here:
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