On the 10th, 11th and 12th of July, Ullapool Coastal Rowing Club welcomed 16 other clubs to our 17th annual Regatta. Our U17 and U19 youth crews had 6 races against Eastern, Lossiemouth and Gourdon, with Ullapool and Gourdon coming out joint winners.
On Saturday we had Airport, Appin, Catterline, Collieston, Dunbar, Eastern, Eskmuthe, Findhorn, Firth of Clyde, Golspie, Lossiemouth, Nairn, Newhaven, Rowporty and Wormit, competing on our 17 lane 2km course.
The weather was dry and bright, and a blustery NE wind scooted skiffs across the loch but made it a hard struggle to turn the buoys and get back to the finish line. As far as I know only one club gazebo took to the air, and was rapidly tied down to buckets of shingle. At an epic ceilidh dance in the Ferry terminal, the only building big enough to hold hundreds of rowers, the dancers stepped out as if they had not rowed their socks off a few hours previously.
On Sunday the sun shone and Ullapool was at its best. Over the weekend we ran 22 adult races, with the best 6 results making the score line. Eskmuthe came third, Eastern came second, and Wormit came first. Appin were awarded the most improved newcomer prize.
We thank our visiting clubs for making the journey, and the many people who donated baking and sandwiches which fuelled the 249 double crossings of the loch, approximately 500km of rowing or 100,000 oar strokes.
Sheila Slaughter’s famous venison burgers were once again a star feature. We thank village businesses for their generous raffle prizes, for offering rowers discounts, and extended hours.
The Regatta can only take place with the unstinting support of Ullapool Harbour Trust, who arranged our insurance cover, let us use the ferry terminal, supplied the marquee, and the umpire stand. Not all harbour authorities are so community minded.
We also thank Wester Ross Salmon for laying and lifting the start/finish line anchors, a job which used to be done with great skill by the late Roy Macgregor. WRS also supplied a safety boat and crew for all three days. Paul Hamilton ran the MV Patricia as an umpire boat for all three days, and our visiting safety boat driver Ptolemy Goad was enormously helpful in all aspects of the on-water effort. Mark Renwick laid and lifted the start line on each day with his boat Taurus.
We thank the visiting umpires who gave their time generously both in the umpire boats and also in the umpire tent, timekeeping and recording results under the experienced eye of Andy Rendle of the SCRA.
Finally, respect to the members of Ullapool Coastal Rowing Club who pulled together a really memorable event in our beautiful village.
Topher Dawson, UCRC.