Crews from Anstruther, Row Porty, Boatie Blest and North Berwick enjoyed a cracking weekend in Antrim last summer.  An invitation to St Ayles Clubs has arrived again.  Elaine Nelson from the Dalriada festival committee writes:

“Dalriada is well on its way, we have our sponsors and funding now in place.  So now we hope you will come over and enjoy the challenges and our hospility.  Sure the crac is mighty….

“P&O will once again give free travel to each club for 1 vehicle and the boat trailer plus passengers travelling within the vehicle that is towing the boat. 15% discount is for a vehicles’ travelling to dalriada rowing regatta ( these are members of attending clubs taking part in the regatta).

“Free camping is available to all crews and families attending Dalriada rowing regatta. This year we are moving the camping closer to the castle entrance for easier access . Showers will be beside the site there may be a £1.00 fee.

“The regatta will start early on Saturday morning with the 6k Dalriada Challenge Race. Then the young crews will compete in the 800 sprints
with 1 turn. Followed with the adult 800 sprints. This year we will have spectacular finish, so wait and see..

“If the weather permits the red  arrows will do a flyby, the wild geese parachute display team will be there with a breathtaking display.. there will be displays and funfair for non rowers. A band will be playing throughout the day .

“After the presentations a fancy dress carnival will take place through the village followed with free barbecue and live bands playing. Ending with a Firework display. All the pubs in the village will have music playing late into the evening free of charge…

“Please contact myself by email or phone 07727234047, if more information is required. Dalriada rowing are on facebook, there is also the
Dalriada festival web site for more of the weeks entertainment and live bands playing…

“Hopefully we will see you again.”

Those of you who like to  follow the progress of groups as they build their skiffs should make sure that they log onto blogs by The Seil Skiff and Ayle of Quinte.  Both are written with humour and show the enjoyment and camaradarie that comes out of being involved in a community skiff build, and will go a long way to encouraging new communities to give it a go.  Ayle of Quinte is Canada’s first St Ayles skiff (and what a great logo to boast of the fact, below).  The Seil Skiff is the Isle of Seil’s first St Ayles skiff.

Once again the Scottish Traditional Boat Festival at Portsoy is very  keen to welcome St Ayles skiffs for exciting racing. Since the skiffs were first invited in 2010 they have formed a major part of the event.  This year the Festival is being held over the weekend of 22 and 23 June.

For logistical reasons associated with the rocky shore line and small, busy harbours, and to ensure a great racing experience for all attendees, it is necessary to limit the number of skiffs to 18.  This would still give the biggest gathering of skiffs so far if all these spaces are taken.

A draw will be held at the beginning of April to decide which skiffs can attend the event.  Priority of berths for skiffs to attend Portsoy will be allocated as follows:

1. Clubs north of the Great Glen and from  Aberdeenshire and the Moray Coast.
2. All other Clubs
3. Second skiffs from any Club

In the event of more entries being received than there are places,  a random draw will be made  at whichever level of priority we are going to run out of spaces.

Applications from Club Secretaries should be made to  skiffs@stbfportsoy.com  by 6pm on 8 April 2013.  Applications will only be accepted from clubs that are members of SCRA and must be accompanied by a STBF boat registration form. (No need to fill out the berthing requirements section on the form, but a rough idea of camping numbers would be appreciated at this stage).   Successful clubs will be notified by 12 April 2013 .  A reserve list will be maintained in the case that succesful applicants have to withdraw.  At this stage we are looking for entries from skiffs.  Successful applicants will be asked to list their crews and categories in which they would like to race nearer the time.

It is anticipated that the categories to be offered will include Mixed Crews at Novice,  Intermediate, Open, Under 19,  40+ and 55+.  There will be mens and womens races at Open and 40+.  The course will be a long triangular course as in previous years, although under 19 and over 50 will probably be raced over a shorter course, possibly with heats and a final.

The Regatta is organised by STBF with assistance of SCRA.  Racing is under the Rules of the SCRA.

Clubs in the process of building their first skiffs may apply for places at Portsoy, and indeed are very welcome.  However, the builders must have a realistic expectation that their skiff will be launched by 12 May to allow for sufficient practice time.   If an accepted skiff has not been launched by 12 May, its place may be offered to clubs on the reserve list.

All senior clubs  attending will be expected to supply at least one race Umpire.  If any club is able to supply a suitable RIB and driver to act as umpire boat that would be very much appreciated (and will guarantee their entry!).

The skiff city campsite will once again be at the Soy Loch, but with improved facilities. For more information about the Festival go to  www.stbfportsoy.com .  If you have any queries specifically about the skiff racing contact skiffs@stbfportsoy.com .

A Clyde Circuit and an Argyll Circuit are now emerging amongst the events advertised in the 2013 SCRA Regatta Calendar, with new events being offered on the Islands of Seil and Islay, and on the mainland at Tighnabruich and Troon.  These join established events on Cumbrae and at Royal West to make up the six events currently scheduled for the West Coast this year.

Seil Skiff is hosting its first event on the Isle of Seil on 1 and 2 June.  Seil is blessed with some of the best tidal water for exploring in small open boats that can be found anywhere in the world and this charming island (joined to the mainland by the “Bridge Over the Atlantic”) will be a very welcome addition to the SCRA regatta circuit.  Follow news for the regatta at http://www.seilskiff.org.uk/seil-skiff-regatta/, where it makes clear “all cordially invited”!

The first Clyde event of the year is scheduled to be at Troon on 8 June.  The plan is to host the largest numbers of St Ayles skiffs seen together on the Clyde.  The club have been very active in getting their two skiffs on the water, and have the support of the local council in promoting the event. Boats will launch from TroonSouthBeach.  http://trooncoastalrowing.org.uk/

Royal West intend to run an invitational event on 22nd June to coincide with the Comet Festival in Port Glasgow. The club have supported this festival in the past but this will be the first time that they have run a small regatta as part of the festivities.  Many clubs will be heading to Portsoy this weekend, but Royal West will still be able to run an exciting and welcoming event for some of the local clubs as part of the annual Port Glasgow event.

Back in Argyll, on 1 July, Kyles Coastal Rowing Club are going to hold their first open event at Tighnabruich  as part of the Fife Regatta, which attracts stunning yachts from the drawing board of the Fife family, who built the most beautiful boats in the world at Fairley on the Clyde.  The Big Yachts will be in the Kyles of Bute on Monday 1 July 2013, and the club hope that skiffies will join them and take part in pulling races.  The international yachting press will be at the event, so it would be good to have a turnout of smart St Ayles skiffs to attract their attention.  Kyles coastal rowing club can be found on Facebook.  Contact  the club for more information on the pulling races. What will make this event very special is the company the skiffs will be keeping on the water.  Feast your eyes: http://www.fiferegatta.com

On 3rd August crews will set off from the Island of Islay to take part in the Comcille Challenge, a rowing race of around 45 miles to Northern Ireland.  St Aylses skiff clubs from Argyll have been invited to take part in a small regatta on the day of departure, an event which will form part of the Islay Festival of the Sea.

Returning to the Clyde, the Sail and Oar Festival will take place on the Isle of Cumbrae on 10 and 11 August 2013.  This is the fourth annual festival, which last year attracted St Ayles skiffs from Royal West, Cumbrae, Troon, Gal Gael, Carrick and Cockenzie/ Port Seton.  http://www.cumbraesailandoar.com/

With the large number of clubs now involved in Scottish Coastal Rowing it is inevitable that there will be some clashes of dates, and it is no longer possible for clubs to attend every event, nor in the normal run of things for most individual clubs to host the entire fleet, currently 40 skiffs in the UK.  We can however avoid clashes in local circuits, so that clubs can ensure a good turnout from their local rivals, and there will still be regattas which aim to draw clubs from all over the country in large numbers, and of course there is the World Championships to look forward to!

If you have an event that you wish to add to the 2013 calendar please drop an e mail to secretary@scottishcoastalrowing.org

Don’t  forget, a list of the categories can be found on this website.  Make sure you get some accomodation booked.  All the information you want to know should be found on www.skiffieworlds.com

The SCRA committee has asked a small specialist group to review the current measurement rules to see if any improvements should be made, to ensure that they continue to serve their objectives  which currently include the following:

1.1 The boats to be raced shall be available to as many people as possible

1.2 The quality of the boats shall be dependent on the skills of its builders.

1.3 The success of its racing shall be dependent on the effort, skills and seamanship of its crew rather than being dependent on being able to afford the purchase of expensive specialist materials outwith the financial resources of other boat owners, or use of specialist boatbuilding technique outwith the abilities of the handy amateur.

1.4 Racing craft should be as evenly matched as possible.

1.5 Builders and users must not compromise the safety and longevity of the boats in order to achieve speed.

The group has been asked to make recommendations by the end of the 2013 season, so that they can be considered in advance of the AGM at the end of October. It would not be appropriate to make any radical changes until the end of the 2013  season.  The one rule that the group have however been asked to review in the very near future is with regard to minimum weight of a St Ayles skiff.  No minimum weight is currently specified.  An e mail will be sent to club secretaries shortly asking for their assistance with this assignement!

The Chairman of the group is Stuart Mack of Boatie Blest, and secretary is Maddy Corbin of RowPorty.  Other group members are Alec Jordan of Jordan Boats, Topher Dawson of Ullapool, Ewan Kennedy of the Seil Skiff, and Peter Laidlaw from Franklin, Tasmania. It is hoped that a North American representative will also join the group and it is hoped that skiff groups world wide will comply with a single set of measurement rules.

 The rules currently in force can be found through the “documents” tab above, or by clicking here.