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Pilots cutting a dash

Exciting plans have been drawn up by the St Mawes-based yacht charter company Classic Sailing to hast a gathering of pilot cutters in St Mawes during the Fal River Links Festival this coming June.
Directors of Classic Sailing Adam and Debbie Purser, as skippers and owners of the pilot cutter Eve of St Mawes, have been keen to organise such an event for several years and the Fal River Links Festival 2006 seemed too good an opportunity to miss at which to launch such an event.
St Mawes historically has a long association with pilot cutters, as well as being the home of the Peters family of legendary pilot gig boat builders. Indeed from 1808, when Pilotage around the Scilly Isles and mainland Cornwall became compulsory, several pilots worked out of St Mawes.
The first licensed pilots were local men Henry Vincent and John Richards and by 1887 there were 30 pilots operating out of St Mawes, accounting for more than half of all pilots based in the Carrick Roads.
The pilot cutters will assemble in St Mawes over the weekend of June 3 and confirmed visitors so far include Jolie Brise, Marian, Agnes, Hesper, naturally Eve of St Mawes and Cornish trading ketch dating back to 1904 , the Bessie Ellen.
Adam and Debbie became involved in the Florence working boat syndicate and their support helped launch the syndicate although, and I think they would agree, racing is not really of much interest to the them.
Their event therefore will only have one race on Jun 7 and that will be a unique format with pilot gigs rowing out to the cutters and the course including sailing out to meet Bessie Ellen and notionally dropping a pilot on board.
This enactment could well mirror real life, as when plying her trade along the Cornish coastline Bessie Ellen would have probably often picked up a local pilot. Other events include the dropping and recovery of pilots on to and from the assembled cutters, with the help of Flushing and the Roseland gig clubs.
I tried to initiate a Gigs and Gaffer event in St Mawes several years ago but failed to generate much enthusiasm but this project, given the Purser’s well established connections in the sailing world, has all the ingredients to be a great success and to become an annual event.
Naturally enough there will be opportunities to become actively involved with both the Bessie Ellen  and Eve of St Mawes offering day sailing excursions over the weekend and full details can be obtained from Classic Sailing on 01362 580022.
The St Mawes Pier and Harbour Company have provided free moorings for these special visitors and hopefully at some time during the five-day festival the fleet will be alongside in St Mawes harbour.
Adam and Debbie have always been fascinated by traditional sailing craft and met while sailing on the STA Tall Ships some years ago. Eve of St Mawes was the first Scilly Pilot cutter built by Luke Powell some 10 years ago and it has always been a source of delight to me personally that the Pursers made St Mawes her home port.
The intention is to carry out more research as to the history of pilot cutters in St Mawes and Debbie and Adam would welcome any photos or family reminiscences to provide a detailed picture of pilot operations based in the village.