Ammended Sat 30 Apr 16:20.

|Friday 29 April|

4:00pm - Cox meeting and registration, Town Hall

|Saturday 30 April|
All races end at St Mary’s Quay.

10:00am - Ladies vets race, Nut Rock
10:45am - Mens vets race, Nut Rock

|Sunday 1 May|
All races end at St Mary’s Quay.

10:30am - Ladies R1, St Agnes
12:00noon - Mens R1, St Agnes
2:00pm - Ladies Final, Nut Rock Heats
3:45pm - Mens Final. Nut Rock Heats
5:00pm - Presentation of trophies, Holgates
9:00pm - Barbecue (until 1 am), Porthmellon

|Monday 2 May|
10:00am - Gig sail race briefing, Holgates
10:30am - Gig sail race for Pilot Widows Trophy
10:30am - Rugby international, The Garrison

Rugby international is at the The Garrison, between Isles of Scilly and Pilot Gigs World XVI

The veterans races (that were postponed from last night) were run this morning . The start was changed to Nut Rock. Results and pictures of both vets events on http://www.pilotgigs.info/.

Sea-fog came down in the middle of the mens veterans race. The thick sea-fog has meant all other events have been cancelled today. The St Agnes race and one heat event will be run tomorrow, weather permitting.

The veterans race is postponed until tomorrow due to very poor visibility. The extended team of coastguards bought over for the event recommended that no boats be let out into the fog this evening. The race may be run tomorrow morning.

The thick fog blanketed the Islands soon before the second sailing of the Scillonian III arrived, blowing its fog horn.

BBC’s weather forecast is not very reassuring for the weekend, with mist and sea-fog for Saturday and Sunday. Well, they always get it wrong.

Tonight usually is also host to the Punchbowl Trophy, between Islands and Truro gigs. This event will be incorporated with tomorrows St Agnes mens’ race.

Check out our site at http://www.pilotgigs.info/ for the latest pictures and results.

The World Pilot Gig Championships are only days away now. Holgates Green and the Strand are filling with gigs ready for the weekend.

2005 is another record-breaking year, with more gigs in one place than ever before. Around 93 are attending, with new crews from Wales and the Netherlands. There are so many gigs this year that some are going to have to be kept on Longstone Farm until the weekend, when the current spring tides will get smaller and the gigs will be kept on the beaches.

More later.

Scilly News will be covering the event in full. We will be keeping up-to-date scores and galleries as and when we get to a computer. Visit http://www.pilotgigs.info/ for images and results, stay tuned here for news and articles.

| http://www.pilotgigs.info/ |

Check out Scilly News’ World Pilot Gig Resource, http://www.pilotgigs.info/, to get the latest pictures and results.

Latest update: pictures of preparations.
Have the list of competing gigs.

IOS WPGC 2005 t-shirts are now available from Sports Mode. Brouchures for the event will be available from Wednesday 28 April.

Another successful marathon in the rain this year to raise a further ?50000 for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.

On the same day of the London Marathon, where it was gloriously sunny, the Tresco Marathon had miserable weather. The 93 finishers raised ?50000.

This is the sixth year that the event has raised money for the 7500 people in the UK which suffer from Cystic Fibrosis, including the event organiser’s daughter, Pete Hingston’s Jade.

The men’s first finisher was Bob Brown from Callington, Cornwall in a time of 2h55:28s. This is two minutes slower than his previous winning time in 2001.

The defending champion, Sharon Daw also from Callington, was the first in the ladies’ race past the finishing line. She completed the course in 3h16:38s ? 6 minutes faster than last year.

Tresco.co.uk reported that “Winner this year of the Katie Llewellyn award was Heather Hunkin, herself a cystic fibrosis sufferer and hailing from St Austell. The determination that Heather applied was an example for us all. Well done Heather!”

Special guests were Bill Bryson and John Burton-Race, a Michelin starred chef.

Chairman of the Steamship Company, Andrew May, ran four laps of the course in order that co-sponsor Robert Dorrien-Smith honour his agreement of matching the sponsorship monies.

The event is sponsored by Tresco Estate, Cornwall Catering 2000, Robinson Reed Layton, the Isles of Scilly Steamship Co and British International.

Thanks to Alan Knight, Tresco.co.uk

Capt Evans, a pilot and aviation enthusiast, has written a book on the history of aviation in the Southwest.

The book begins in April 1965, as he recounts his first flights to the Islands from Newquay, Plymouth then Bristol.

Capt Evans was one of the first pilots for Brymon Airways.

His book recalls previous adventures, including his involvement with the Mafia and being rescued by a beautiful blonde in Tripoli. He also recounts famous passengers, including John Lennon, Yoko Ono, PM Harold Wilson and a to-be-assasinated Prime Minister of Grenada.

The book is available from http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0954882008/scillynews-21.