Saturday 31 March saw the turning of Queensferry Rowing’s second skiff. The club can’t wait until she is ready to take out on the water. The Club thanks to all those who have had a hand in building the skiff so far and especially to John Clenshaw.

The Scottish Coastal Rowing Association is delighted to announce that Ullapool has been selected as the venue for the first World Championship for Coastal Rowing using the St Ayles Skiff. With the astonishing growth of St Ayles Skiff building and rowing by communities internationally the time is right to run a Skiffie Worlds to give an opportunity for Rowers from across the Globe to meet in friendly competition.  The Championships will take place from 8 to 14 July 2013.

 Ullapool, on the banks of Loch Broom, a large sheltered sea Loch in the Northwest of Scotland, is an ideal location to host such an event. With an existing infrastructure developed to cater for the needs of visitors and great community experience in running large cultural events SkiifieWorlds will be well within the capacity of the village.

 Ullapool Coastal Rowing Club together with their partner organisations, the Loch Broom Sailing Club, Coigach Community Rowing and the Ullapool Harbour Trustees look forward to welcoming visiting crews to their magnificent waters. A full programme of maritime and landbased activities and entertainment is planned culminating with the Prizegiving followed by a boisterous Ceilidh Dance on Saturday 13^th July 2013.

A  dedicated Website has been set up at  www.skiffieworlds.com

From Martine Robertson of Port Seton, an account of last weekend’s paddle down the Tay…

A sharp, sparklingly sunny Sunday morning saw us leave the Port Seton boat shed in high spirits, just after 9am. Destined in convoy for the silvery Tay, the plan was to row Boatie Blest and  Boatie Rows, the brand new Black Agnes from Dunbar, Jenny Skylark from Portobello, the Anstruther Boats Chris o’Kanaird and St Ayles, and Ferry Lass of South Queensferry, down river from Perth to Newburgh and then on under the Tay rail bridge to Wormit. Not a row for the faint hearted we discovered, but on the day there were no faint hearts; shoogly legs and blistered hands yes, but no faint hearts as each team gave a great account of themselves.

The slipway and the car park at the sea cadets’ hut in Perth was a bustle of rubber and wood and waterproofs, clanking metal contraptions to carry our lovely boats, and Tesco’s bags weighed down with enough rolls, pork pies, cakes and crisps to feed the Armada. As ever there were appreciating eyes run over the different boats and any new bits added; a lovely bit of sign painting on the Black Agnes, smart new red oars on  Boatie Rows, but in the end there is no skiff as bonnie as your own, and why would it be any different.

Finally, at the crack of noon, every boat was afloat, including the International Rescue Team in a very stylish Zodiac! A Westerly tail wind and 20 miles to go, we were off and rowing. Some teams had been assembled to give newcomers a chance, some for a training run, some just out for the jolly. Whatever the reason we certainly got a lot of rowing in!

It was a day full of light, clouds chased over the sun, and the reed fringed river was sparkling and silver. Sand banks were avoided as we rowed, on and on and on. Boats fell behind and caught up, bow sitters changed in with spent rowers, and still everyone rowed. Team Zodiac was alert and waiting to ‘fling the thingy’ should anyone fall overboard. As miles wore on and rowers drooped, the Zodiac would offer a rescue package; a wee nudge down the river, or more sensitively named, ‘the push of shame’ by Andrew. Most crews enjoyed the shame, and rowed on refreshed afterwards. For the statisticians among us? Only two boats did not avail themselves of the push of shame at some point, Boatie Rows and Ferry Lass.

The Flotilla dropped in at Newburgh for rest, tea and cakes and in some cases a crew change. A longish walk to the boat club provided relief for some of us. The Newburgh builders took the chance to have a good look at our boats, and for us, it was great to see their new boat in the making.

No hanging about though, lest we become mud bound, so with the cake and pork pie inside us instead of in the Tesco’s bags we set off again to conquer the Tay. We rowed on past more sand banks, where seals lolled about, and small birds peeked from the reeds, through changing light and fatigue, people began hailing the push of shame. From Boatie Blest, Gareth’s voice singing out the rhythm offered a more prosaic momentum. Boatie Rows began to disappear in one direction and Ferry Lass in the other, both were strong, and no push required.

After a detour when we thought Boatie Rows might be going to the pictures in Dundee, she turned and headed for Wormit, according to Stuarts plan, to be first to reach the boatclub slipway. Over the next twenty minutes the other boats came in one by one, crews tired, but straight into the business of getting the boat up the slipway, and onto the trailer, aye, it’s a relaxing thing the rowing.

More tea, more cake, more crack and laughter, as well as a bit of showing off of blisters,  well earned, and fair enough.

What a day, we had certainly ‘done the Tay’, the sun had stayed with us, as did our good humour and sheer pleasure in what we do in coastal rowing. It’s tiring and hard work, you even have to put the boat away yourselves when you get home! But, I know when I got back to Port Seton, I said ‘look, we’re back at our own wee harbour, are we not lucky’ and you know what, I bet at some point during the day every rower thought to themselves, ‘am I not lucky’.

When’s the next thing then?

A big thank you to, Brenda from the Sea Cadets in Perth, Danny from the Wormit sailing club, Sam in Newburgh, and Andrew who set up the whole thing.

For more photos (and a different perspective) have a look at the RowPorty http://rowporty.org.uk/6-go-mad-on-the-silvery-tayblog here:

It has been a busy month after a quiet February. Ardersier have ordered their kit, though still (as far as I know) looking for somewhere to build – that is faith!

The meeting in Annan three weeks ago was enthusiastically attended, with a kit order resulting. Before too long we’ll be expecting a few more from along the Solway Coast.

Both Newburgh and Troon have ordered second kits.

There have been new contacts from a other locations around the country, and a couple from further south – way further south. When these firm up a little I will publish more.

Alec J

Entries have opened for the Boatie Blest regatta to be held in Port Seton Harbour on 5 and 6 May 2012.  The Race course will take a similar shape to the 2011 regatta, involving a pursuit style race course where both boats start side by side heading in opposite directions.  The boats round their own buoy before passing each other over the start line again. They then round the 2^nd buoy and finish facing their initial direction at the start line. The entire race takes place within Port Seton harbour, making an excellent spectator sport, and very close races. The other added attraction is that crews only know whether they are winning or not when they pass at the half-way stage.

Saturday will feature an opening ceremony and the annual  Port Seton v Cockenzie race.  There will then be races in  Mixed open, Women’s 40+, Men’s 40+ categories.  Sunday’s Races will be for Men’s open and Women’s open.  For more information contact club captain Stuart Mack:  stuart.mack@strath.ac.uk,

All rowers and families are invited to a ceilidh in the Auld Kirk hall on the Saturday night.

Boatie Blest also featured in the Edinburgh Evening News this week.  They have assisted Preston Lodge High School in Prestonpans with the building of a St Ayles skiff.  The report on the High School Boat Building can be found here:  http://www.scotsman.com/edinburgh-evening-news/edinburgh/pupils-build-skiff-to-show-off-rowing-skills-at-regattas-1-2198375

There is a full list of this year’s regattas on the “Events 2012″ tab above.

Ardersier Boat Club were formed with a view to building a St Ayles skiff in their community, and joining the other communities in Scottish Coastal Rowing.  They have done fantastically well, raising over a thousand pounds, much of it through their New Years Day Loony Dook.  Now able to buy a kit, they have one major stumbling block, they have not secured somewhere in the town to build the skiff.  The club have resorted to verse, as published on their facebook page.  So if you can help with a space or even a termprory building, please help this community group.  Their poetic plea goes as follows:

We’ve raised enough for our community boat kit – can you help us find a space to build in ?

We’ve raised a thousand pounds so far –
but can’t yet get ‘afloat’
because we’re still out looking for
a space to build our boat

We’ve made a start with oars and ply
But really need a hut
To borrow for a month or two
To take us out this rut

We’ve said yes to a garden
But no to Piperhill
We wanted to stay somewhere close
And out the winter chill

Our hull needs to stay fixed and dry
While we glue up her seams
She’s twenty two feet long by six
Feet wide across the beams

Too big for all the sheds we know
We’ve asked both man and bairn
We dinnae want to go away
And Build our boat in Nairn!

We’d like a place near Ardersier
That’s ok for the spring
So if you have a space you know
Give ABC a ring.

Email: ardersierboatclub@yahoo.co.uk

Scottish Coastal Rowing would love to see a St Ayles skiff built in Nairn…….  but not this one!  If you can possibly help Ardersier Boat Club, please get in touch with them direct.

…are the two latest launched St Ayles in the USA.

Completed in February at Lake Champlain Maritime Museum in Vermont, they could not be launched immediately due to Lake Champlain being the way it always is in February – frozen.

Their actual launching took place at the Snow Row at Hull, Massachusetts on the 10th March.

Perseverance took to the water a few minutes before Resilience, then were almost immediately rowed in the Regatta.  For nore info, go here and scroll up the page for this year’s detail.

The sity in the background is Boston.

Thanks to Nick Patch for the pics.

Alec J

Following a blessing delivered by skiff supporter and local minister Rev Laurence Twaddle, Dunbar’s second St Ayles skiff was named “Black Agnes” by young Dunbar Coastal Rowing Club member Claire Denholm.

Black Agnes , Countess of Dunbar, was a true Scottish heroine who defended Dunbar Castle against the English Commander, the Earl of Salsbury.  At the naming ceremony, Andy Wishart of DCRC expained that as befitting a woman from Dunbar she used a combination of strength and guile to outwit Salsbury who finally  gave up the siege after 6 months..and she did this with some panache.  She had her maids dust off the marks left by the rocks catapulted at the castle,  she had boulders dropped on Salsbury’s secret weapon, the battering ram, and when she had fresh stores delivered by boat through a secret doorway she sent Salsbury some fresh bread and wine!

Taking inspiration from the lady herself, Dunbar’s coastal rowers will use strength, guile and panache when campaigning their stunning new skiff Black Agnes in regattas around the Scottish Coast.  As with most of the St Ayles skiff fleet her building was a community effort, and the town of Dunbar will be proud of what they have produced.

The community turned out in force to see the skiff take to the water , with young pipers opening the celebration and the local sea scouts parading down to the harbour to honour the new boat.  The thick mist swirled round the remains of the castle ramparts, and we could easily imagine Black Agnes peering down through the mist to the quayside to see her namesake.  Local singing group “Dunbar Sings” gave us Michael rows the boat ashore, including the line “Black Agnes is a fast boat”.  We hope so, and we look forward to finding out.

The St Ayles skiff being built in Design and Technology Department of Carrick Academy  is now  nearing completion.  It has now been announced that the skiff will be launched on the 20^th of May at Maidens harbour, South Ayrshire (Time to be confirmed)

Boat Builders at Carrick Academy

In further news a new rowing club has been formed to ensure that the boat is used.  Carrick Coastal Rowing Club will be holding its first meeting on Monday the 19^th of March at Maidens Bowling club. Anybody interested in rowing the skiff either for pleasure or competitively is encouraged to come along to the meeting.  The builders and potential club members are excited by the news that a skiff is now being built in Girvan to give them a bit of friendly local rivalry.

But Tam kent what was what fu’ brawlie:
There was ae winsome wench and waulie
That night enlisted in the core,
Lang after ken’d on Carrick shore…..