Why a pre-launch routine is worth the trouble

Every gig that comes to grief usually does so for a boring reason. A thole pin that had split, a bailer left in the boathouse, a tide that turned an easy recovery into a scramble. None of these are dramas at the time — they are dramas later. A fixed routine, run through by the coxswain and one other crew member before the boat moves an inch, takes perhaps ten minutes and removes most of the avoidable trouble you will ever meet on the water.

The point is not to tick boxes for their own sake. It is to make sure that when you push off, everyone aboard knows the boat is sound, the kit is complete, and the plan matches the conditions.

Inspect the hull, gunnels and fittings

Start at the bow and work aft, on both sides, with a hand rather than an eye. Wooden gigs reveal more to fingertips than to a glance along the planking.

• Planking and seams: look for fresh splits, weeping seams, or soft, discoloured timber. A gig that has dried out in a warm boathouse may take up a little water when launched — that is normal — but a running seam is not.
• Keel and stem: check for damage from the last slipway or trailer. A gouge in the stem is easy to spot and easy to ignore.
• Gunnels and thwarts: press down on each thwart. Movement means a loose fastening, and a thwart that shifts under a rower's weight will ruin both the stroke and the crew's confidence.
• Rowlocks and thole pins: traditional gigs use wooden thole pins, and they wear. Replace any that are cracked, tapered thin, or loose in the gunnel. Carry spares — they are small, cheap and impossible to improvise.
• Buoyancy: if the boat has tanks or compartments, check the bungs are present and tight. If it carries bags, make sure they are inflated and lashed in.
• Drain plug: fitted and closed before launch, not discovered on the water.

Oars, spares and loose kit

Count the oars before you carry anything down the slipway, and count them again at the end. A gig rows with six oars; a seventh aboard is sensible insurance, and a spare is useless if the collar is missing or the blade has delaminated.

• Check each oar for splits along the loom, a sound blade, and a collar that sits where you expect it. Matched pairs make a difference to how easily the boat runs.
• Carry a spare oar, spare thole pins, and a basic tool roll with a knife, cord, tape and a shackle key.
• Secure loose items in a dry bag. Anything rolling about under the floorboards is a trip hazard during a rapid change of crew position.

Safety equipment to check every time

This is the part that gets skipped when the sun is out and the water looks kind. Don't skip it.

• Personal buoyancy: one per person, correctly fitted, and worn rather than stowed. Check straps and buckles for perished elastic.
• Bailers: at least two, tied in, and large enough to clear a swamped boat quickly. A cut-down plastic container works; a bailer with no lanyard ends up over the side.
• Throwline and tow line: inspected for rot and tangles, with the bag's mouth open enough to deploy one-handed.
• First aid kit and a means of calling for help: a waterproof handheld VHF or a charged phone in a dry pouch, plus knowledge of who to contact and what to say.
• Anchor and warp: if your club's gig carries one, check the cable is flaked clear and the bend is seized.
• Drinking water and sun protection: a gig crew works hard, and heat exhaustion creeps up quietly on a long row.

Read the weather, not just the forecast

Check the forecast the night before and again on the morning. Then stand at the slipway and look at what is actually happening, because the two do not always agree.

Wind direction matters more than wind speed for a gig. An offshore breeze feels gentle in the harbour and builds a short, steep sea beyond the headland. Wind against tide over a bar or a harbour mouth will stand the sea up far faster than either alone. Ask yourself how the boat will handle the conditions at the furthest point of your planned row, not just at the start, and whether the crew is strong enough to bring her home if the wind freshens two hours earlier than forecast.

Fog, thunder and a falling glass deserve particular respect. A gig has no engine, no shelter and a low profile; she is not the boat to be caught out in poor visibility.

Tide, slipway and the crew brief

Work out the state of the tide and the time of the next change before you launch. On many Cornish slipways, launching two hours either side of high water is straightforward; launching on a falling tide with three hours to run means a long carry over mud on the way back. Know how much water you need to recover, and set a turnaround time that gets you there with margin.

Finally, gather the crew for a short brief on the bank. Confirm who is rowing in which seat, who is coxing, and who is responsible for what. Run through the plan, the turnaround time, the signal for a stop, and the capsize drill — stay with the boat, get the crew accounted for, and never swim for the shore. Then check the boat is off her trolley, the painter is clear, and every crew member is aboard and ready. Only then push off.