Well it started out as Six Harbours but this year it became Five Harbours and an Island!
For host club, Findochty Water Sports Club (FWSC), this was the fifth year rowing this beautiful stretch of coast. This year saw 20 skiffs from all over the North East of Scotland gather for the event and the weather gods really smiled on us!
A light North-Easterly breeze, plenty of sunshine, and calm seas made perfect conditions for our early launch! From the 17 th century Portsoy Harbour, the skiffs set off on water like glass. We were accompanied by five FWSC yachts and a couple of leisure craft, which acted as safety boats for the day.
We rowed west past Sandend Bay, local surfing mecca then marvelled at the cliff-top Findlater Castle (standing tall since the 1200s!), and then were treated to a dolphin show courtesy of our local Moray Firth residents! After soaking up the views (and the sun!), we stopped off in Cullen Harbour where the Cullen Sea School crew kept us going with teas, coffees, and delicious fancy pieces! Refuelled and ready, off we went again!
Rowing past the iconic Bow Fiddle Rock, then onto Portknockie Harbour. A quick stop at Findochty Harbour, followed by a lap around the Craigenroan – a wee island, home to grey and common seals!
For the grand finale we raced the ebbing tide back into Findochty Harbour to recover the skiffs before the mud claimed them! Great teamwork as always within the coastal rowing community. Rowers were rewarded back at the FWSC Howff by mountains of sandwiches, soup, and tasty treats, helped along by Walkers and Tesco who supported the event.
Huge shoutout to all the clubs who joined the adventure:
Findochty, Portsoy, Cullen, Whitehills, Burghead, North Kessock, Findhorn, Collieston, Broughty Ferry, Chanonry and Fortrose, Lossiemouth, Cromarty, Catterline, Nairn, and Loch Tay!
And to top it all off, we raised a fantastic £1200 for Buckie RNLI – supporting their vital lifesaving work at sea. Plus, FWSC raised some extra funds to help spruce up the Findochty toilets.
What a day! Stunning scenery, perfect weather, dolphins, seals, amazing company, and raising cash for brilliant causes! A massive thank you to everyone involved – rowers, volunteers, supporters. You made it truly special. Already counting down to next year!
