WivGigs is a friendly and sociable community rowing club based in the beautiful waterside town of Wivenhoe. We introduced coastal rowing to Wivenhoe back in 2012 when we bought our boat ‘Audacity’ and formed the club.
Audacity is the heart and soul of our club: she’s a wooden East Coast Pilot Gig, lovingly built by apprentices at Harker’s Yard in Brightlingsea and based on a 19th century design. She was the third such gig to be built by Harker’s Yard, and the first to row from Wivenhoe.
As a club our ethos is to offer affordable and safe access to the beautiful river Colne and Essex’s surrounding estuaries – to enable folk to get closer to nature and get fit and healthy at the same time.
We are truly inclusive and we count amongst our number members originally from the Netherlands, Germany, Tenerife, the Czech Republic and Russia. We also encourage those with disabilities to take up a sport they may never have tried before, and our members’ ages range from those in their 20s to septuagenarians.
We are primarily a social rowing club, getting out whenever the tide and weather allows, rowing up river towards the Hythe or down towards Brightlingsea. We also take part in local races such as the Harker’s Yard Winter Series, where we have represented Wivenhoe in every series since its inception.
We don’t have a particular ‘race crew’ but instead strongly encourage all our members to try racing, swapping crews around for each race and aiming above all to have fun on the day.
We are funded entirely from our membership fees, our own fund-raising efforts at community events, and from much-appreciated grants and donations from local groups.
You don’t need any previous experience to try rowing – just contact us and we’ll welcome you and guide you through everything you need to know.