Barnstaple Pilot Gig Club (BPGC) was founded in January 2010 by a small group of keen pilot gig rowers who felt it was about time Barnstaple had its own pilot gig club in this growing traditional sport. From 2010 to the present, progress has been made to establish BPGC within the gig rowing fraternity and to raise awareness of the sport in the town of Barnstaple in North Devon.

BPGC has been fortunate and has also worked hard within the community to publicise the club and secure funding either by making successful grant applications, by fundraising in the local community, and by benefiting from having a benefactor. This has enabled the club to grow an annual membership of approximately 100, including its junior section. The diversity and extent of BPGC membership illustrate the inclusivity and popularity of the sport of pilot gig rowing.

The club participates in competitive rowing regattas and championships within the British Isles and maintains an annual presence at the World Pilot Gig Championships held on the Isles of Scilly. The club has also attended events such as the Great London River Race and is often present at local events and shows such as the Pilot Green Man Festival, Barnstaple Carnival, North Devon Sustainability Show and the North Devon Show. It also proudly provides a sea escort for the North Devon Hospice’s ‘Floating Bye’ annual event. The club holds an annual regatta on the River Taw each year, which attracts other local pilot gig rowing clubs and spectators to the town of Barnstaple.

On 1st June 2017, BPGC became a charitable incorporated organisation (CIO). The size of the club, its presence in the local community in Barnstaple and the wider gig rowing fraternity, the diverse age range of membership, and the amount and value of equipment and assets the club has acquired, led to the decision that it should apply for some sort of affiliated status. The governing body for gig rowing, the Cornish Pilot Gig Association (CPGA), was granted CIO status in 2016. On this basis, the CPGA encouraged pilot gig clubs to do the same or similar to provide a legal structure that offers protection to its members, committee, and the assets held by individual clubs.

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