SCRA News
Remembering Viv
Many people will have known Viv Easton, from Collieston Offshore Rowing Club. It came as a huge shock to learn that she passed suddenly on 17th February 2025. She was often described as a ‘force of nature’, in our rowing community taking a leading role in organising the teams for the North East region at the Freshwater Sprints, jumping into an empty seat at any regatta if other crews were short, leading weekly HIIT classes CORCFIT, and generally taking on any task with gusto…
Today, in a packed church in Oldmeldrum, members from at least 14 different rowing clubs from Queensferry to Ullapool and everywhere in between as well as Durham and Bristol joined her family and their many friends at a moving service to say goodbye to this larger than life character. It was standing room only, a testament to the huge number of people whose lives she had touched. After the service, 32 oars were raised in a moving salute as Viv’s coffin left the church.
Viv would have appreciated the subsequent gathering at Meldrum House Hotel! It gave friends from far and wide the opportunity to reminisce and share stories and she will be sadly missed.
St Ayles Skiff World Championships 2025
We are getting closer to the 5th St Ayles Skiff World Championships in July and as clubs are preparing themselves for the racing there is a hive of activity going on in Stranraer preparing for the big event.
There is a website now dedicated to the event and this will be updated with all the important information you need to know.
So to keep up to date please visit SkiffieWorlds 2025
Skiff compliance to Build & Measurement Rules
Make sure your skiff complies with the International Building and Measurement rules
This year many clubs will be looking forward to attending local regattas and also the World Championships at Stranraer 6th-13th July.
It’s also the time of year when skiffs get repairs, maintenance and painting, so a good time to check that your skiff complies with all the rules.
The full set of rules is on the SASI website:
https://www.staylesinternational.org/building-and-measurement-rules-2023/
I will touch on a few of the main rules and concentrate on what the scrutineers will look at when skiffs arrive at Stranraer.
- The weight of the hull with all seats fitted but all other fittings and equipment removed needs to be at least 150kg, and if it is lighter than that will have to carry sand bags up to 150kg. All skiffs will be weighed at Stranraer on arrival.
- Oarlock fittings are to be made of timber and/or plywood or leather suitable for its purpose. In practice we accept metal fasteners like nails, screws or bolts but not things like metal or plastic thole pins, or loose plastic washers.
- Rudders need to have an underwater area, on one side, of at least 850cm^2 below a specified line which must be painted on the rudder blade in a contrasting colour. This is to allow boat umpires to check that enough rudder blade is in the water to steer the boat quickly enough to avoid a collision.
The rudder is hung on the boat and a line drawn on it projected from the keel rabet line, which is where the keel meets the garboard strake (bottom plank). The reference water line is drawn 390mm above this line, parallel. Alternately, the same line can be drawn parallel to the keel and passing through a point 25mm below the bottom of the fourth plank above the keel where it meets the sternpost.
The area below this line can be calculated by overlaying a 10cm grid and counting whole and part squares. There should be at least 8.5 squares. If the rudder has a lifting blade, it should be lifted till only 850cm^2 is below the line, and a 25mm wide band in contrasting colour painted with its bottom edge at the line. This is so that umpires can check that at least 850cm^2 is submerged.
- Rudder has to be hung from the aft edge of the stern post with the hinge axis no more than 25mm from the stern post at the fittings.
- Oar shall be made of timber and/or plywood. The use of thin plastic or leather sleeving, facing or wear strips fastened to oars to protect wooden parts is permitted. Plastic is to be no more than 6.25mm thick and must not project in its width or length beyond the wooden part it is covering.
There should not be any plastic parts like washers or plates on the gunwale or unattached, but leather is allowed.
- Footrests, where used, must be made only of timber or plywood, with other materials used for fixings such as screws and nails but not for adjustable parts of the footrests such as sliders or runners.
- If foot restraints are used, they should be easy to slip the foot out of without using hands.
- Race numbers need to be at least 200mm high.
- The International Rules of Racing for skiffs are also on the SASI website: https://www.staylesinternational.org/rules-of-racing-2021/ and they contain a list of equipment, rope, bailer, anchor, etc which boats must carryIf you have a new idea and wonder if it complies with the rules, check with the Secretary of the SCRA (secretary@scottishcoastalrowing.org). Photos or sketches are useful. Better to check than arrive at the Worlds with a problem!
Topher Dawson, SCRA.
Training Development Day – Saturday 16th November
SRCA are running a Training Development Day in St Andrews from 10am – 4pm for clubs from the Aberdeenshire/Angus/Tayside/Fife and SCRA SE Regions. Clubs can put forward 4 attendees from their club and must provide their names and preference of topics they would like to attend. The cost of the training will be £5 per head and will include teas / coffees / food – this is being subsidised by SCRA.
Topics to be covered are –
Maintenance
Oar Making
Passage Planning
Preparations for Towing
Preparing for the Worlds
Rules & Regulations
Excisemans Chase
News from CCRC in Maidens Ayrshire
We held our annual Excisemans Chase on Saturday 21st September and looked after 8 other teams ; FOCCRS/Prestwick/Royal Gourock/Dunure/Troon/Anstruther and for the first time Portpartick /Ayr Renegade .
There was a slight breeze for the crews heading out to Gas House bay at Culzean from Maidens Harbour and an easier row back for the return crew but it was a superb coastal sea row and Troon produced the best time and regained the trophy .
It is always great fun as both sets of teams need to walk through the beautiful Culzean either to or from the bay and someone in each boat needs to get out and secure the mini bottle of whisky and take back to maidens .
The mini chase later that day remained in the harbour and again Troon won.
It was so wonderful seeing all these teams and their supporters enjoy our hospitality and bottle stall and just mingle amongst fellow rowers.
Hopefully have some more Autumn/Winter rows on chillier but calmer seas .
SCRA AGM and Training for Umpires, Coxes and Course Layers
SCRA cox training weekend at Dunstaffnage
An SCRA led Argyll and Lochaber cox training weekend took place at Dunstaffnage Marina on 25th & 26th September 2024. Fifteen trainee rowers from Seil Coastal Rowing, Lochaber Coastal Rowing, Lorn Coastal Rowing and Mull Rowing (Ross of Mull and Wester Isles yacht club, Tobermory) congregated at the marina for two days of classroom theory and on water coxing practice. The weekend’s logistics was organised by Lorn Coastal rowing while SCRA cox trainers Liz Furrie from Broughty ferry CR and Anne Purcell from Queensferry CR led a very engaging and beneficial weekend.
The Saturday classroom session led by Liz and Anne began with the skills and responsibilities of the cox, and the ever-important decision of whether or not to launch the boat. The role of the responsible person, lifejackets, potential hazards, the essentials of the boat, the boat checklist, the VHF and the most important element of the skiff – the crew – all formed part of a very informative and engrossing afternoon session. Lots of club discussion was thirsty work and so tea, coffee, cakes and windfall apples were provided in the little kitchen half way though
Spring tides meant an 8:45 am start on the Sunday and thank you Sue Fenton, Seil CRC for towing Selkie to Dunstaffnage for the weekend to accompany Lorn’s Cruachan for the day’s on water practice. The weather was glorious with a slight breeze and 20 degrees of sunshine which meant perfect conditions for boat handling, manoeuvring in tight spaces, buoy turns and backing onto a buoy, hard stops, spins, man overboard, pontoon arrival and departure and oar deployment.
All trainees got a good turn at coxing and learning and practicing these skills with hoots of hilarity being heard from the shore…
All the rowers agreed that the course was super beneficial and great fun. Many thanks to SCRA Liz and Anne for the training, to Alba Sailing for providing the meeting room, to Dunstaffnage Marina for the facilities, to Lorn CRC for hosting and to all the rowers from Seil, Lochaber CRC, Mull and Lorn CRC for attending.
Tweed Row
Thanks to Amble Rowing Club for this great write up
The Grassmarket Community Project (GCP)
If you can build a boat you can build anything!’
Inspired by what she’s seen so far, GCP’s volunteer storycatcher, Caroline, couldn’t resist another visit to the Granton warehouse to see our woodwork team in action and check the progress of our boat build …….
Read more about the Grassmarket Community Project Skiff build and how you can help – https://grassmarket.org/building-a-boat/
Perth Row
Perth Coastal Rowing Club held their inaugural Fun Row on the 3 rd August. It was held at Perth Sailing Club, Lairwell. Nine skiffs attended from all over Scotland with there being over 90 people in attendance. The sun shone which added to the enthusiasm of the day and contributed to the fun rows.
The morning event was a row down the River Tay through two sections of buoys, the latter section was rowed in reverse. The skiffs then continued further down the river towards Elcho Castle where crews collected a plastic duck before heading back up river to Lairwell. Having worked hard, the crews had earned their buffet lunch.
The afternoon had all the skiffs rowing up the River Tay under Perth’s four bridges and into the centre of city. A great sight for the People of Perth to see.
We would like to thank all the clubs who participated and everyone who assisted in making the day a great success.
Here’s to the next one.
Tyrone Currie’s Oars
Tryrone Currie has been building skiff oars for several years now, for most of the clubs in N. Ireland, 30 or so Scottish clubs and a couple of sets to England. He is retiring in 2024 and has very kindly documented his build method. We know there are always many posts put on our Facebook page from members asking for advice on how to build oars and we feel that this document will be a very helpful.
Oar build Tyron Currie Build Method
This document will also be added to the Oars section on the website for future reference