‘Scotland the Wave’ focus for Ross-shire rowers as events line up
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ROSS-SHIRE rowers will be on the crest of a wave or two in the coming days as an increasingly popular pastime is thrust into the public spotlight.
Strathpeffer & District Community Rowing Club has seen its membership swell as it works to increase interest in a sport that has taken off dramatically across the county in recent years.
Back in March, the club made history with the unveiling of its third volunteer-built boat, a Ness yoal named Sula, launched at the Storehouse of Foulis. A Ness yoal can be sailed as well as rowed – and her seagoing capabilities were well tested in an easterly Force 5.
And people interested in sailing and rowing will be given the opportunity to find out more at a forthcoming Invergordon Boating Club (IBC) open day this Sunday (May 12). That will be a chance for people to find out more about watersports also including kayaking and windsurfing.
Sula will be based at the IBC so that members of both clubs can try sailing a traditional Shetland model boat with a square sail, quite different from the modern dinghies mainly sailed at IBC.
Some club members will also this week attend Ullapool’s Lugger Fest which will showcase the inner harbour redevelopment.
The Strathpeffer club will also be involved with a special fund-raising row on Sunday, May 19 which in aid of Scotland the Wave, supporting a team of five women rowing the Atlantic from the Canaries to Antigua & Barbuda, a distance of 3000 miles which can take up to 12 weeks.
Tor Justad of Strathpeffer & District Community Rowing Club said: “One of the crew, Fiona Deakin, rows with us and also with Cromarty so we have a special reason for supporting the event.”
The May 19 event will involve around 260 rowing members from 14 coastal rowing clubs in 14 St Ayles Skiff coastal boats rowing approximately 33 miles in four stages from North Kessock on the Beauly Firth round the Black Isle to the Storehouse of Foulis in the Cromarty Firth.
All the rowers and coxswains are sponsoring a seat in a boat per leg of the distance to raise funds toward the first all-female crew from Scotland to compete in the 2025 Atlantic Challenge.
The four women team, Scotland The Wave, have four different charities close to their hearts that they are raising funds for. These are, Breast Cancer UK, Scottish Air Ambulance, SiMBA and the RNLI.
More information about the girls and the goals of Scotland The Wave can be found on their web site. The row around the Black Isle event hope to raise £2000 (or more) toward Scotland The Wave
Mr Justad said that the Strathpeffer club, set up in 2017, is as active now as ever but we always welcome new members”. You can find out more at https://sites.google.com/view/sdcrc
