MAKING the most of Bude and Stratton Heritage Day, Bude Pilot Gig Club decided this would be the best time to have their most recent pilot gig blessed.

Following a club vote earlier in the year, the name Barrel Rock had been chosen. With the whole club coming to support the occasion in the pouring rain, the junior section sat in a boat while the seniors stood on the wharf side.

Jerry Sethir first gave a verse in Cornish, which was followed by a blessing by Father Peter before they anointed the vessel with a couple of bottles of ale from the Bude Brewery.

Barrel Rock joins the club’s two other full size gigs, Breakwater and Bedehaven, to make the most of training at Upper Tamar Lakes.