Thursday, October 23, 2008

Trafalgar Night Celebration

Lyme Regis Gig Club celebrated the end of the summer rowing season at a Trafalgar Night celebration held on October 18th at The Powerboat Club. Members of the town’s new sea rowing club and their guests were invited to don a nautical rig and mark both the glorious victory at the Battle of Trafalgar and the sad loss of Admiral Lord Nelson. Whilst also charting progress of the Gig Club and mapping course over the next year. The Gig Club’s Trafalgar Night included a ‘below decks dinner’ , heroic speeches, much back slapping, shanty singing, a raffle and ribaldry.

The Chair of Lyme Regis Gig Club addressed the assembled crew by highlighting how far the Club had travelled since its launch in February 2007, both in commissioning its first gig Rebel, recruiting a membership of over one hundred and running a rowing programme that has seen the Rebel at sea during evenings and weekends over the last three months.

The Chair went on to say ‘Gigs are something new and something old and that sea rowing is part of Lyme’s history, which is one of the reasons why the Club has been so well received by townspeople and visitors. Lyme Regis Gig Club should honour Lyme’s nautical past and aim for to have the Nelson Touch, which was built on being highly professional in all things, being prepared to do what it takes and aiming to win what ever the odds.

The success of the Club has been due to the commitment of its members and support from a range of local organisations including Lyme Regis Town Council, Lyme Regis Boat Building Academy, The Powerboat Club, West Dorset District Council, Nigel Clarke Publishing, G F Eyre Trust and sponsor Otter Brewery. To meet the high level of interest in sea rowing Lyme Regis Gig Club is continuing to develop having recently built a gig shed and with plans well advanced for a second gig, a training programme for coxswains and the establishment of a youth section in the New Year’.

Shanty singing is very mush part of Lyme Regis Gig Club, which is very lucky to have a crew of honorary musicians under the direction of Ian Thompson and Adrian Pearson. Which meant the Gig Club’s Trafalgar Celebrations ended with a lusty rendition of Spanish Ladies, Lyme Regis Rebel, Hearts of Oak, Rule Britannia and rather appropriately the Drunken Sailor.