Archive for May, 2011

The Caledonian Mercury online Newspaper is putting together a series of short programs about Scottish Coastal Rowing.

The first program was made around the launch of RowPorty’s Jenny Skylark. For the second, David Calder paid a visit to Anstruther to talk to the people who were involved in the genesis of the project two years ago.

The program can be found here

The first Galgael build made it onto the water at Anstruther Harbour on Friday afternoon, just in time to join the fun in the Anster Regatta on Saturday.

Gobhancroit was built by pupils of Smithycroft High School & St Mungo’s Academy as part of the Sense over Sectarianism project, under the guidance of Galgael.

When launched on Friday, she was crewed by Galgael, who bravely took her out to race on Saturday morning.

The second Galgael skiff is close to completion, and we’ll see her on the water before too long.

For the record...the Galgael Crew

Even the harbour had waves! Photo Frazer MacDonald Hay

At the third regatta of the 2011 season, rowers were treated to another day of howling wind and entertaining sea conditions.  Seven skiffs were gathered on the beach at Anstruther in front of the  St Ayles building with Galgael’s school built skiff  and Royal West of Scotland’s Greenock skiff “Chippy MacNish” enjoying their first competitive outings.  Pittenweem Rowing Club also made their competitive debut, borrowing one of the Anstruther boats for their races.

The Men’s open crews were the first to try out the conditions outside the harbour mouth,  around a course of around 2km with two port turns.  North Berwick leading the field home.

Photo: Frazer MacDonald Hay (c)

FMH(c)

The women 35+ and Women open followed, with Anstruther bringing home line honours in both.  North Berwick and Coigach are shown above near the start with “White Wing” from the Fisheries Museum in the background.  The uncatchable Anstruther are to the right:

FMH(c)

The remainder of the prizes were shared out amongst the field with Coigach and Anstruther taking the mixed categories, and a win for South Queensferry in the Greybeards. Full results are here.  

More photos have been added on Flickr in another stream. With some of the pics, you can almost feel the wind howling around you!

FMH(c)

Finish Photo FMH

The action now moves accross the Forth, with Port Seton hosting short course races on 11-12 June, and South Queensferry hosting their event on 26 June.  Details on the events tab:  http://scottishcoastalrowing.org/regatta-dates/

After the season opener at Dunbar, crews are travelling to Achiltibuie for Saturday 21 May 2011 to take part in the Coigach Coastal Rowing Regatta.  Anstruther, Port Seton, Portobello, Newhaven, North Berwick, Stornoway, Ullapool (with three boats!) all intend to join Coigach lass for the event.

Dunbar’s menfolk brought home line honours in the over 50 category at the towns first rowing regatta.

The 1 km course from Dunbar Harbour mouth, round a turning buoy and threading through the half tide and Scart Rocks before returning to a transit off the harbour was made into a challenging voyage for every crew by the strong and blusterly westerly wind.  Dunbar held off Portobello in second place. 

However in other events, the day very much belonged to RowPorty, recording wins in the open events for men, women and mixed, and sweeping up the other over 50′s events.  The youngsters from Cockenzie/Port Seton won both the mens and women’s events at under 25.

It was great to see a decent fleet from the south side of the Forth out, with those named above also being joined by boats from Eyemouth, Newhaven, North Berwick and South Queensferry.

For  more photos  check the Flickr Scottish Rowing page.

Mens Open, Dunbar. (Photo, Stan Reeves)

Dunbar put on a fantastic day for the participants with slick organisation and a friendly welcome to all.   If you are in Dunbar and you liked what you saw today you will want to contact the club to get yourself out in a boat!  Contact them through their website:  http://www.dunbarcoastalrowing.org.uk/About.htm

Next the action moves to Coigach, on Loch Broom where races on  Saturday 21 May 2011 will be followed (weather permitting) by a cruise to the Summer Isles on the Sunday.  The circuit then returns to the Forth, with Anstruther Regatta on Saturday 28 May 2011.  For further details of forthcoming events click on the Events Tab above.

We have had the first definite order for a St Ayles to be built on Pacific shores in Portland Oregon.

I had an email from Peter Crim, who has ordered the kit…

I am in the process of forming a boat building school that I’m calling the Wind & Oar Boat School, and expect the school to be a legal nonprofit by early June. The school is also part of a larger effort to create a maritime center in Portland, with which I am also intimately involved.

The first phase will be a youth program using the BARC model sponsored by WoodenBoat. The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) has offered a space in which a group of high school students will build starting next fall. I’m hoping to build at least two St Ayles Skiffs next school year, one in the fall and one in the winter, bringing the Portland, OR, fleet to three by next June. Early June is the Portland Rose Festival, which includes a number of activities on the Willamette River, and my plan is to start a competitive event between the Skiffs during the Festival.

After getting a youth program running, the plan is to start offering classes to the general public during the summer. These offerings would be of a much wider and varied scope and the tuition from the classes would go towards support of the youth programs.

I’ve spent the last several months promoting this scheme to various area groups and it’s been well received. The upshot is that a group of women approached me with the idea of building a Skiff this year and they would love to take one to Maine to compete with the boats being built there. This group crosses generations and has no experience in the workshop, but has a lot of interest in boats. We’ve located an incubator space which supports getting women involved in shop arts and they have gone out of their way to make this work.

Good luck to Peter and his ladies, and we will look forward to hearing of their progress in the coming months.

Alec Jordan

The SCRA committee have agreed a revised version of the Rules of Racing, which can be viewed here or by clicking on the documents tab above.

The revisions include the need for all crew to wear a suitable Personal Floatation Device (ie a lifejacket) at all times, and the need to carry a suitable anchor and rode.  A recommendation has been made in respect of other equipment to be carried.  These changes were made at the EGM at the end of last year.  It is the responsibility of each participant and each club to consider what suitable equipment should be carried for safe enjoyment of the boats on the water.

A new rule has been included to prohibit advertisements on the hulls of craft.  This has been adopted in response to a specific query.  It was felt that the dignity of these lovely craft would be spoilt by commercial advertising.  There is no restriction on sponsorship logos on kit, trailers or covers.

A bit more clarity has been brought to the rule on age categories.  Some other associations allow average age.  We are not very good at maths and like to keep things simple, so decided that every rower should be within the age category on the day that the regatta concerned starts.

The major change is to rule 8, which describes the course.  We expect to see some mass start races turning round single buoys this year, so have had to find a rule to deal with priority at the turning mark.  The international rule has been adopted, which is that the boat on the inside of the turn has priority even if a boat outside is in the lead (so long as there is an overlap).  Please can all coxswains be asked to read this rule carefully before taking part in a race of this sort. 

Some more clarity has been brought to the overtaking situation.  The overtaking boat must avoid an overlap of oars with the boat being overtaken.  However if, in the approach to a shared mark,  a boat overtaking on the inside of the turn has its bows ahead of the coxswain of the boat outside at three lengths from the mark, the inside boat has priority at the mark.  Please read the rules, but you could do worse than also looking at the illustrations that our Welsh counterparts have come up with:  http://www.welshsearowing.org.uk/rules.shtml

Finally some clarification that at buoys, the hull and rudder must pass round the mark.

These rules come into effect immediately.  Please ensure that your club members are aware of them.

Have a  safe and enjoyable racing season in 2011.

Robbie Wightman

Convenor,  Scottish Coastal Rowing Association

7 May 2011

Traffic Jam in Ullapool

The first school built St Ayles Skiff was launched today on Loch Broom. Four of Ullapool High School’s Pipers led Cùl Mòr from the High School to the Wee Pier creating a minor traffic impediment for the short time it took to process.

The builders – who were unfortunately incarcerated in the exam hall for the duration – made a very impressive job of the build amply justifying the faith demonstrated by the Ullapool Harbour Trustees who generously donated the kit and materials for the boat to the school.

The Naming

A brief naming ceremony and anointing with the national spirit by Ullapool High School Headmaster Peter Harrison preceded the first joyous watery excursion by the students. After an all too brief row around the harbour Cùl Mòr returned to shore so the crew could return to their studies.

Ulla and Loki also took to the water to welcome the new Skiff onto Loch Broom.

Cùl Mòr is now off for a week’s Outward Bound Training with other students from Ullapool HS.

Ullapool's Fleet