Thirteen clubs joined Paignton last Saturday for their annual gig regatta. Torbay is an ideal location for gig racing, offering good shelter for the boats. As usual, the men's A was the first race of the day, with Dart struggling against much younger opposition. The ladies' A was next, again with some very strong crews rowing. The Dart ladies had an excellent race, coming in fifth out of 11 boats. The men's B put in a strong performance and settled early on into a position in the middle of the fleet. They had a few tricky moments with Rame and Teign, but managed to hold them off to come home in sixth place. The ladies' B followed and they had a strong start and powered their way towards the front of the fleet. Unfortunately, Bridport came into them on the first mark, telling Dart they had the water over them, before the umpires had made the call. Bridport pulled across Dart, which caused Dart to move into Cotehele Quay's Zeus. Zeus and Smudger became entangled, with the result that the rest of the fleet rowed past them. Once clear, Dart pulled away from the back of the fleet and were pleased with their recovery, only to find on the finish that they had been disqualified for not giving way on the first mark. The men's veterans improved the men's performance even better with a great race, coming home in third place. One of the crews declared, so this put the Dart men in second place. The ladies' veterans were not to be outdone by their male counterparts and put in a strong row to come second, right on the tail of winners Caradon. The final race was a mixed crew and Dart again did well, coming in sixth out of a field of 11, with Keira Burnell stroking the boat – her first row since the Isles of Scilly and the first race she has stroked. It was a good day for the club, who were also able to help out local club Salcombe, loaning them men for two of the races. Kevin Pyne had a tiring day umpiring, with a number of decisions requiring clarification. This left little time for fishing, but time to spot dolphins playing in the bay.

Men's squad Paul Kunert, Chris Gale, Michael Bryant Mole, Stan Bray, Kevin John, Rupert Kempley, Will Atkins, Adrian Bailey and Tony Doige. Ladies' squad Clare Thorp, Peta Chivers, Chloe Gardner, Ella Chivers, Carol Squire, Maggie Russell, Ali Bland, Katharine Money, Halina Brown and Keira Burnell.