Gail McGarva’s specialist area is the building of replicas, or as she prefers to call them ‘daughterboats’, breathing life into a new generation of traditional boats, not static museum pieces but expressions of living history.
Gail not only builds ‘by eye’ but also builds with the use of designer drawings and construction plans as is embodied in her building of the racing class boats, Cornish Pilot Gigs. Cornish Pilot Gigs are 32ft long racing rowing boats originating from the Isles of Scilly and mainland Cornwall. All modern day gigs are replicas of the gig Treffry, built by William Peters of St. Mawes in 1838, and are measured three times during construction by the Cornish Pilot Gig Association’s Standards’ Officer.
They are built of elm and oak and the clinker construction of the craft highlights the beautiful long lines of these elegant racing boats.
The late Ralph Bird who was central to the revival of the craft was Gail’s mentor in the building of her first gig Rebel for Lyme Regis Gig Club in 2008.
In 2009 and 2012 Gail went onto build two sister boats for the club, Black Ven and Tempest.
Gail not only builds ‘by eye’ but also builds with the use of designer drawings and construction plans as is embodied in her building of the racing class boats, Cornish Pilot Gigs. Cornish Pilot Gigs are 32ft long racing rowing boats originating from the Isles of Scilly and mainland Cornwall. All modern day gigs are replicas of the gig Treffry, built by William Peters of St. Mawes in 1838, and are measured three times during construction by the Cornish Pilot Gig Association’s Standards’ Officer.
They are built of elm and oak and the clinker construction of the craft highlights the beautiful long lines of these elegant racing boats.
The late Ralph Bird who was central to the revival of the craft was Gail’s mentor in the building of her first gig Rebel for Lyme Regis Gig Club in 2008.
In 2009 and 2012 Gail went onto build two sister boats for the club, Black Ven and Tempest.
Images by Nick Matthews Photography