Rowing sensation sails inland to inspire Loch Tay community

Volunteers hope to have new skiff afloat by spring next year

Coastal rowing has already inspired communities along Scotland’s seaboard.

Now the sport, which began in Fife, is moving inland and volunteers on Loch Tay are starting work on one of the country’s first skiffs destined for inland waters.

Linda Cracknell, 59, convener of the Loch Tay Skiff Club, said her group was determined not to let the lack of local coastline hold them back.

“We live very far inland, but there was a group of us who wanted to get involved in this project,” she said.

“The movement has been about coastal rowing, but we thought why don’t we launch a boat on a fresh water loch?

“There was a lot of enthusiasm for the idea. At least 20 people turned up for the first meeting in January and it has grown from there. We didn’t all know each other and have discovered the idea has cut across generations and genders.

“The sport appeals to people who don’t see themselves as particularly sporty. You don’t have to be fantastically fit to do it.”

The National Lottery has just announced £2,250 from the Awards for All Scotland fund for the project. The extra money has given the 19ft skiff’s construction a much-appreciated boost.

“With the help of the funding we have started to build and we should be on the water by spring next year,” said Ms Cracknell.

“It’s very exciting. It has already brought so many different types of people together. We have those who are interested in traditional boat building and those who just want to row.

“The group includes furniture makers, woodland workers, chocolatiers, and others who just come in and say they have heard about it and want to get involved. We seem to have tapped into something.”

The Scottish Coastal Rowing Association was formed in 2010 to encourage boat building, rowing and racing of boats around the coastline. The sport is built around the St Ayles skiff model, which is sold in kit form and is relatively straightforward to construct.

Alec Jordan, of Jordan Boats, said he came up with the idea for St Ayles kits while living in East Wemyss in 2005.

He said 317 kits had been sold worldwide, including South Africa and Brazil, and 164 of them in Scotland.

The Loch Tay kit is one of the first for inland waters, with others on Loch Awe in Argyll and in Strathpeffer.

“I think it’s surprising we haven’t seen this before,” he said. “There are folk at Killin thinking about it and one at Loch Earn is quite likely.”

A National Lottery spokesperson said the £2,250 funding “means that Loch Tay Skiff Club can give local people the chance to come together, learn new skills and make new friends.”

The movement has been about coastal rowing, but we thought why don’t we launch a boat on a fresh water loch?

Picture: Omar Shamma. Volunteers are busy building the 19ft skiff and have been supported in their efforts by funding from the National Lottery Awards for All.