SOAKS in the hot tub and lengthy sessions on the massage table have finally eased the aches and pains from the Cornish Pilot Gig season's gruelling competition opener at Saltash.

The Three Rivers race, originally designed to test the fitness of 18-ft Cornish flashboat crews some 40-plus years ago, is now used by the Gig fraternity to put into practice all those winter weeks in the gym, while honing boat skills for the regatta season ahead and, in particular, for the World Championship weekend on the Isles of Scilly at the start of May.

Some 120 gigs from all over the South West arrived at Saltash Waterside to find ideal conditions for the endurance race that takes in the Rivers Tamar, Tavy and the Lynher.

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