The Skiffs will be on display on the pier until 3pm, when there will be racing over an 800 yard course close to the Forth Rail Bridge in Mixed Open and Mixed 40+ classes.

Entrance to the Boat Festival is £4 for adults, £2 Conc. Visitors to the Festival should park at the Deep Sea World Park and Ride just off the A90 north of the Road Bridge, and use the free bus service to get to the harbour area.

For more information on the skiff racing, please contact Alec Jordan on 01592 560162 or email kits@scottishcoastalrowing.org

The “workshop” is actually a retail unit next door to the local Co-op. The windows have been filled with information and pictures of the skiffs at other locations, and collecting buckets placed outside (when there is someone in the building!). I had quite a long chat with the team after we had unloaded the kit, and every few minutes there was a “thunk” as some more coins hit the bucket.

They have loads of enthusiasm,and their public visibility will assuredly get the local community involved in a big way.

The race is on – with North Queensferry – who have already said that this is the only skiff race between the two towns that they will be behind!

Alec Jordan

If I have deleted any genuine names, my sincere apologies – please re-subscribe, but please put a real name against your SCRA username when doing so.

Alec Jordan

Further to Ian Clark’s email around the association on 14th July there has been a small but encouraging uptake of the UKCC course being run by Welsh Rowing at Aberystwyth Rowing Club on 10th-13th September. Three members of Royal West have confirmed their attendance and there is interest from Ullapool, North Berwick and Cumbrae. Applications need to be with Sarah Hayward or Welsh Rowing by Friday this week.

The course covers

• Safety on the water
• Management of risk & incidents
• Developing technique, skill and fitness
• Planning and reviewing goals
• Checking and setting equipment

At the end of the course the participants should have a very good understanding of approved coaching policy and technique as well as a nationally recognised coaching qualification. They can use this for the benefit of their clubs and the SCRA in general.

It has been suggested by Sarah Hayward of Welsh Rowing that with enough interest, and the correct logistics, this course could be run in Scotland. It would be our intention to further this discussion while in Aberystwyth.

Adam Graham

adam_graham@hotmail.com

Royal West of SABC

These have come from…

Royal West at Greenock who have ordered two kits,

Eyemouth’s 2nd, to be built in the High School,

Catterline, who finally have the space in which to to build,

South Queensferry, adding another to the many on the south side of the Forth,

and finally Fife has woken up, with Pittenweem and Crail getting in on the act.

Other places in Fife are getting clubs going, and it seems possible that the spring of 2011 will see another 8 skiffs built in the Kingdom.

There has also been new interest from Helmsdale and Lochgilphead.  My spy in Stornoway tells me that there there is renewed interest in Lewis and Harris and at Gairloch.

With the way the numbers are building up, I think it is very likely that by the first regatta in 2011, there will be something in the order of 40 skiffs on the water.

Thank you all who have purchased the kits.

Alec Jordan

On the start line on a very breezy day

Radio Scotland sent a reporter to cover the event, and the piece on the rowing can be found at BBC iPlayer at 38:00 or thereabouts.

Unity of Eyemouth

You can view the results of the Eyemouth Regatta here.

Portsoy Results

The first is Coigach v Port Seton.
Port Seton v Anstruther Ladies - a learning experience for umpires and rib pilots! the race was rerun after recovery time.
and Ullapool v Anstruther showing Ulla’s brief instant of success

Coigach v Port Seton, Men 40+

I will add links to others as he lets me know that they have been uploaded.

First set of pictures on Flickr have been posted, courtesy of Chris Perkins.  I could not decide which of them should be in this post!

I’m expecting to get a link to Kathy Mansfield’s set in a day or two, and I will get the official results up here in the morning.

To all who attended this weekend’s fun, a massive thank you, to all who haven’t yet built themselves a Skiff, time to get building to join the fun!

Alec J

Sunday saw Chris making her way over the bridge again to South Queensferry, where she assisted the RNLI gala day by chucking the chairman of the Queensferry group in the sea for him to be rescued by the inshore rescue boat.  Quite a few members of the Queensferry group had a try, and Mike McDowall showed off his model of the skiff that he has been using to publicise the build there.

I’ll hopefully receive a few pictures of the boat later, but in the meantime, here’s Mike and his model.