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In 1952, rowing in Cornwall was increasing in popularity, with clubs being formed all around the county. Rowing was mainly in 15ft skiffs with rowers occasionally visiting Newquay to row in the gigs. This enthusiasm led to the formation of the Cornwall Rowing Association.
In 1953 Richard Gillis received a letter from Tresco in the Isles of Scilly enquiring if NRC would be interested in buying the Scillionian gig Bonnet. Two members of the club later went to Scilly on holiday and made an inspection of the gig and thought she was in fair condition. They also found two others, the Golden Eagle on Bryher and the Slippen on St. Agnes. The decision was made to buy all three, the Golden Eagle and Bonnet were bought for £35 each and the Slippen for £25. They were transported to Newquay during the winter of 1953/4 and taken to Steven Braybyn`s yard in Padstow, where they underwent a complete refit with new timbers and gunwhales. In 1954 Richard Gillis, George Northey and Tom Pryor made a visit to St. Agnes, Scilly to buy the gig Shah and to record and photograph any remaining gigs before they finally disappeared.
The Shah had a reputation as a very fast gig in her racing days. Built in 1873 by Nicholas Peters of St. Mawes. After much haggling she was bought for £35. Her condition was poor, her keel rotten and most of her timbers broken, she was also taken to Braybn`s yard and given a complete refit. Newquay`s fleet of gigs had now reached seven.
The Bonnet and Golden Eagle were not competitive against the Newquay, Dove, Treffry and Shah so in 1956 the trustees of the gigs gave permission for them to be altered. They were taken to Brabyn`s yard, Padstow where all the thwarts were taken out and the top planks taken off. They were then pulled in four inches, whilst this work was being carried out new keels were also fitted.
The first International Boat Show was held at Olympia in 1954. The gig Newquay was taken to London to go on display at the show. She was painted up especially for the occasion, bright red with white bottom, her name in gold leaf. The Newquay was put on display at Olympia with the Oxford eight - the old and the new.
During the 1960`s many of Newquay`s rowers were away on national service with the result that gig rowing went into decline, whereas in Scilly it was just beginning to grow in popularity. With seven gigs and not enough rowers the trustees decided in 1963 to send back the Shah and Bonnet on loan to the Scillies. The Golden Eagle was sold back to the islands in 1964.
From 1968 onwards the Rowing Club grew from strength to strength. 1972 saw work begin on the new club and boathouse at the harbour. Racing had become firmly established in Scilly and by 1972 three new gigs had been built for the islands, the Serica, Dolphin and Nor Nour.
One sad event occurred in November 1972, the death of Richard Gillis whose enthusiasm had got the whole thing started again in 1947.
A decision was made in 1973 to sell back the Bonnet and Shah which had been on loan to the Scillies since 1963. With the money a new 32ft gig, copied from the Treffry, was built by Scillonian boatbuilder Tom Chudleigh. She was named Active and launched in 1974. A second gig followed in 1975 named Good Intent, she was paid for by a donation given by Norman Anstis, at that time landlord of the Sailors Arms Inn at Newquay. A third gig, Unity, was launched in 1978. Speculation, a fourth arrived in 1987. The Slippen, last of the Scillonian gigs bought by Newquay in 1953, was sold back to Scilly in May 1980.
In 1991 it was decided to sell the Unity to the recently formed Yealm Gig Club where she was renamed Hornet. Newquay replaced her with the gig Fly, built by Ralf Bird in 1993.
The above information was summarised from the book by Ralph Bird, Newquay Rowing Club 1921-1995. (contact the club if you'd like a copy, priced at £2.00 plus p&p)
Today NRC has several hundred social members and a large number of rowing members - men, women and juniors. The Clubhouse has undergone extensive refurbishment, thanks to various grants and awards and the hard work of it's members.
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