THERE may be a nautical world of difference between the crow's nest of the Titanic and a seat in a replica of a 17th century Cornish lifeboat, but a connection could be made at Ilfracombe harbour on Saturday.

Over the last 18 months the Turner family — mum Mandy, dad Barry and son Jack — have become active members of the town's pilot gig club.

And for Barry, the Ilfracombe Pilot Gig Club Regatta yielded his first victory in this increasingly popular sport, in which races are held using six-oared rowing boats.

But the joy of his triumph came in marked contrast to the terror which surrounded a distant relative's experience at sea 98 years ago, in the most famous of all ocean disasters.

Barry's grandad was a younger brother of Frederick Fleet, who was on lookout duty in the crow's nest of the Titanic shortly before it hit an iceberg and went down with the loss of 1,503 lives.

Towards midnight on April 14, 1912, Fleet saw a black mass, struck three bells and telephoned the bridge to report "iceberg dead ahead".

But the warning came too late, although Fleet, who had not been issued with binoculars, was exonerated by inquiries.

His was one of 705 lives saved, but he ended up a street newspaper seller in Southampton and committed suicide.

"My grandad, Edward Albert Fleet, was from a large family and the brother who was in the crow's nest was a lot older than him," said Barry.

"I think he had left home before my grandad really knew him.

"It was a story my grandad told from when we were small.

"I don't have any evidence, but when the Titanic film came out the national papers got in touch with my Auntie Sonia and Mum to ask about it."

It will come as a shock to many of his fellow crew members to hear of this ancestral heritage.

"I don't think anybody knows about it. As long as they don't mind me being with them knowing the family history," said Barry, smiling.

Had he been worried about superstition, Turner might have considered joining a battle re-enactment society rather than a gig rowing club.

His other notable ancestor is Lord Rowland Hill, who etched the mark of victory on the family tree.

A trusted commander under the Duke of Wellington in the triumphant Battle of Waterloo in 1815, Lord Hill went on to become Commander in Chief of the Army.

Barry said: "He was my great, great — I can't remember how many greats — grandad and there is a statue of him in Shrewsbury."

His 'family' on Saturday were his five crew-mates in Rapparee, the Ilfracombe boat, in the men's B and veterans' races.

Although second in the vets, Turner triumphed with the B team.

Barry, 47, and Mandy, 46, took up the sport after Jack, 17, who started 18 months ago.

"We went to a couple of regattas and thought rather than just watch we may as well compete," said Barry. "That was 14 months ago."

The couple are twice winners of the Star Trek Charity Night Walk on Exmoor but, other than that, Barry struggles to name his competitive sporting highlight.

"This is probably it," he said."My wife won her first race last week and Jack has won three races, so at least I can sit with them now with a bit of pride."

While Rapparee pushed Weymouth boat Tristen into second place in the men's B race, the top two were reversed in the men's A race.

Tristen also won the ladies' A race and the overall title on a day when 11 boats and eight clubs took part.

For Jack's crew, it was a first loss in four races. But the head boy at Ilfracombe College took defeat on the chin.

"We did the best we could in rough conditions," he said.

And there were no trips to the surgeon, not like his rugby days.

Bearing three-inch scars on his right forearm and left collarbone from rugby injuries, Jack said: "I thought I had better stop contact sport so I started rowing. It's just as physical, really tough, but good fun."

The boats are modelled on craft used for taking pilots to incoming vessels off the Atlantic.

The first races were between gigs competing to get their pilot aboard to win the business.

But it is not only the crews who put in a hard shift. So does the commentator.

There was the moment when the man in question, Ray Wooff, had to warn Bideford that their boat was "floating off with the tide and there's nobody with it".

Then he had to urge Bristol to keep rowing because while they may have thought they had crossed the line in third place in the ladies' A race, they had not. And Ilfracombe were coming up fast behind.

Hardly Titanic moments but it was good at least to know that the man looking down from the crow's nest had his wits about him to warn of hazards before the consequences struck.