Planning for the gig Champs

From transporting 113 gigs, to tonnes of beer and pasta – Isles of Scilly Steamship Group have got it down to a fine art.

It’s no exaggeration to say gig weekend is a huge logistical operation for the Isles of Scilly Steamship Group – and after more than 30 years, it’s one we’ve got down to a fine art.

As well as transporting thousands of passengers to the islands, we ship records amount of freight and careful planning begins months in advance.

Thousands of items of luggage will be handled by our quay staff – four times as much as on a normal weekend.

Our dedicated freight ship Gry Maritha will carry hundreds of tonnes of freight in the week leading up to the championships.

The cargo includes thousands of toilet rolls and tonnes of beer and pasta.

All this is before we’ve even mentioned the 113 gigs we’ve transported this year. The first gigs were carried to Scilly in February, and it’s been a steady stream ever since.

We can take two gigs on Scillonian III and six on Gry Maritha, so between February and the championships there have been gigs on every sailing, with Scillonian carrying 52 in total and the Gry 61.

The Isles of Scilly Steamship Group has supported the World Pilot Gig Championships since its inception in 1990, transporting thousands of gigs to and from the islands over the years.

In addition to transporting the gigs, the Isles of Scilly Steamship Company supports the event by offering special travel rates to competitors and provides four extra sailings over the weekend of the competition.