Village savours skiff launch
A crowd of nearly 100 people gathered at Achnamara on Sunday June 18 for the official launch of the community-built rowing skiff, the Daisy Bell, named after one of the village elders.
With Daisy Bell, the inspiration for the craft’s name, there for the ceremony, the afternoon started with piper Rowan Cockburn leading the boat and the procession from the village to the shore. Andy Grant provided history on the building of the skiff, after which Daisy officially named the boat and a dram was poured on the bow. The launch was followed by a barbecue to raise funds for the recently formed Achnamara Rowing Club.
A spokesperson for Achnamara Rowing Club, which will maintain the boat, said: ‘‘In 2018, some members of the Achnamara community thought building a wooden rowing skiff would make a great community project. One challenge was finding a suitable space for the build, but Achnamara Community Trust bought a large, unused shed from Forestry and Land Scotland and this provided an excellent workshop for building the boat, as well as winter storage. The project was made possible with grants from Foundation Scotland and National Lottery Awards for All Scotland, along with generous local donations, fundraising and, of course, the work of many local volunteers who gave their time twice a week.
‘‘Construction of the boat started five years ago. It was an excellent community effort, with work finally completed in late 2022.
‘‘The boat is a standard St Ayles skiff design, taking four rowers and a cox, which allows for competitive matched racing between coastal communities under the umbrella of the Scottish Coastal Rowing Association.
‘‘We have been formed to organise community rowing, maintain the Daisy Bell and perhaps take part in inter-village competitions in the future’’