Join Us

Hello and welcome to Bridport Gig Rowing Club. Thank you for your interest in gig rowing with us. Come and visit us and see our boathouse, which is located on Fisherman’s Green in sunny West Bay.

So that we can make sure we are offering the right entry route to BGRC, we ask that anyone interested in joining BGRC should, in the first instance, please contact our Membership Secretary, via email: members@bridportgigclub.org. This is so we can discuss possible taster rows and LTR availability and advise the best way for you to join us prior to you signing up for any Club registration.

If you are an experienced gig rower, transferring to us from another pilot gig club, we will be able to organise a quick assessment within one of our scheduled rowing sessions and fast track your membership of BGRC.

For anyone new to the sport of sea rowing in pilot gigs, we thank you for choosing to learn to row with BGRC – we would be delighted to welcome you to the Club and get you out onto the water as a gig rower as soon as possible.

Our Juniors section is active and well supported with an enthusiastic, dedicated and energetic team, headed up by our Junior Coordinator. We can often organise LTR sessions for junior applicants so that they can get involved and be included within our scheduled Juniors training sessions.

We have a dedicated and popular Learn to Row course, managed by our LTR Coordinator, which consists of an initial INTRODUCTION TO ROWING, held over one day. This is followed by our LEARN TO ROW COURSE, consisting of 4 sessions, all of which are at least an hour’s duration. Once you have successfully completed the LTR course with us, you will be warmly invited to become a full member of BGRC (provided you have reached the basic level of attainment required to row safely at sea). However, if at the end of your LTR you decide that rowing is not for you, there is no obligation whatsoever to you.

WHEN WILL YOU ROW? – We offer general rows for adults on Saturday & Sunday mornings, plus Monday & Thursday mornings. Some weekday evenings and extra ad-hoc rows are also offered in summertime daylight hours. Junior rows are usually on Saturday mornings. Racing squads also row at weekends all year and summer evenings.

PLEASE NOTE: We welcome enquiries from anyone wishing to register their interest for LTR and this can be done by email to members@bridportgigclub.org. We will add your name and email to our waiting list and when we are able to offer LTR tuition to new rowers, we will contact everyone on our waiting list accordingly. Thank you.

Learn to Row Course (LTR)

WHAT IS THE LEARN TO ROW COURSE ABOUT?

The Learn to Row Course consists of 4 sessions (details below).

LEARN TO ROW (LTR)	DURATION	CONTENT
Session 1 (LTR1) Giggers Go!	1.5 hrs	75% land based/25% on pontoon/boat tied up. Overview of gig boat and equipment. Brief history of pilot gig boats. Teaching basics of stroke.
Session 2 (LTR2) Hit the Water!	1 hr	100% on water. No launch or retrieval of boat. Focus on stroke, seating position etc. Breaking down stroke technique. Intro to safety.
Session 3 (LTR3) Heave Ho!	1.5 hrs	50% land based/50% on water. Launch of boat. Drills on water focused on developing rowing stroke learned in LTR2. Familiarisation with rowing commands and instructions. Recap safety.
Session 4 (LTR4) Ready to Row!	1.5 hrs	50% land based/50% on water. Drills focusing on stroke rate, stroke power, ratio & blade depth. Recap safety, including the contents of the dry box. Retrieve boat from water & return boat to yard, stowing equipment etc.

WHEN ARE THE COURSES HELD?

The first two LTR sessions – LTR1 & LTR2 – are scheduled together, usually running on a Monday, Thursday, or Saturday morning. Some evening sessions may be available but these are limited and only available during the extended summer daylight hours. LTR3 is offered one week after commencement of the course, with LTR4 to follow a week later.

Dates of the LTR sessions are chosen by our LTR Coordinator, to fit in with our overall Club rowing schedule, when we have boat, crew and cox availability.

If rowing is cancelled due to inclement weather, you will be offered a replacement session.

Full information on where to go, what to wear, what to bring along with you, a full set of supporting course documents (which accompany the practical elements of the course and provide more detail on the course content), is given to all LTR participants nearer the confirmed course date.

AM I PHYSICALLY FIT ENOUGH TO ROW?

Regular physical activity is fun and healthy. Being more active is safe for most adults; however we would suggest that anyone with any doubts should check with their own GP before becoming more physically active. BGRC accepts no liability for persons who undertake physical activity, which is done at each individual’s own risk.

To participate in LTR

you MUST be able to swim 50 metres in gig rowing clothing,
you must be able to tread water for 2 minutes,
You must be able to swim underwater for 5 metres as per British Rowing guidelines.

You should have good general health and a reasonably good level of fitness, which should include sufficient flexibility to get into and out of a gig unaided and the ability to lift an oar vertically, as well as horizontally over the thole pins in the gig.

HOW DO I ENROL FOR A LEARN TO ROW COURSE (LTR)?

It’s easy, straightforward, quick and painless! If you have any queries, please email our Membership & LTR Secretary (members@bridportgigclub.org).

To register on the BGRC website:

Visit the website: http://www.bridportgigclub.org
Click on ‘start rowing’ on top right blue bar. Fill out the online registration form.
Your email is then verified by us. Please allow 24 hrs for verification. (You may not receive a verification email. It will be up to you to attempt to log onto the website after your registration has been approved).
Once you have registered you can then subscribe for the LTR course fee/temporary club membership which will remain valid for the duration of your LTR course

To pay for a course fee or membership subscription:

Once your email is verified, re-visit the website by using the username and password you set up at initial registration and purchase the LTR course fee & membership package from the options available under the ‘Subscribe’ tab, located top right in the blue bar.
Select the correct subscription rate and follow the payment prompts. You may pay either via a PayPal account or with a debit/credit card.

The INTRO LTR fee is £15 and the LTR course fee is £30 (or £15 for Youth rowers under 21). This fee covers all 4 sessions.

Your temporary LTR course/membership fee is valid for 6 weeks and should cover you for the entire time you are learning to row with us. It also entitles you to join us by coming out in a gig to ride out with us in the Pilot Seat (no oars) so that you can get a taste as to what gig rowing is all about. If you would like to join us for a pilot ride please email our membership and LTR secretary with your availability to discuss arrangements.

Please remember:

Before committing to LTR dates, please be sure you will be able to attend all the sessions that are planned for each course. We have limited spaces, i.e. your place is one seat within a boat of (up to) 4 new recruits, plus 2 experienced rowers and your cox.
Please don’t say yes to a place and then not attend; we need to know that once you have a confirmed place, you are sure you can make the course. This is to ensure we have a full crew in a boat and it avoids other people in your boat being let down by ‘no-shows’. If you can’t make the dates offered, other future dates may be planned.