On Saturday 6th September, an intrepid team from Yarmouth Gig Rowing Club competed in “Monster the Loch” – a 21-mile race from one end of Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands to the other!
Loch Ness is 22 miles long (36k), 1.7 miles (2.7k) wide at the widest point and over 260 metres deep. Fort Augustus, where the race started, is 586 miles from Yarmouth (including the ferry to Lymington).
Rowed up the canal
To get there, YGRC’s Cornish Pilot Gig, Sea Spirit, was towed by road to the Caledonian Canal and then rowed 53 miles over several days and through numerous locks to reach the south side of Loch Ness, arriving with a day in hand to rest ahead of race day.
21 mile race
Monster the Loch is a challenging 21-mile race open to any humanly powered craft. This year the 124 boats on the starting line ranged from a single paddleboard through Dragon Boats to Celtic Long Boats and 12 Cornish Pilot Gigs.
Sea Spirit and her crew started this gruelling marathon with an early burst of speed, setting the pace and pulling away from many of the other gigs. The crew held their heads throughout the race and by the finish they were fourth of 12 in their class.
Completed in three hours 47 minutes
They had successfully held off gigs from Cotehele Quay Gig Club, Lyme Regis and Eastney Cruising Association, with a finishing time of three hours 47 minutes, only 13 minutes behind the fastest in their class.
Rowing at your best for three hours 47 minutes calls for endurance, stamina, spirit and sheer determination to keep going so this was a great achievement for the Club.
Finished 83rd overall in the rankings
118 out of 124 boats finished the course, with the fastest boat across the line in two hours 31 minutes and the slowest, being the paddleboard, in six hours four minutes. Sea Spirit finished 83rd overall in the rankings.
This wonderful sport is ever increasing in popularity and is fast growing on the Isle of Wight with clubs at Yarmouth in the west and at Brading Haven in the east. Everyone is welcome to come and have a go and no prior experience is needed.
News shared by Bill on behalf of Yarmouth Gig Rowing Club. Ed
