The Scottish Fisheries Museum, Anstruther, started an initiative to rekindle coastal rowing in Scotland, with the intention to re-introduce inter-community rowing around the Scottish Coast. Until the 1950s it used to be a popular pasttime using locally constructed craft. In Shetland and in Cornwall the sport has already had a huge resurgence of interest in recent years with regular regattas taking place.   

One major consideration was to ensure that the entry into the sport is relatively inexpensive. They have achieved this by commissioning an internationally renowned Scottish boat designer to come up with traditional design which can be easily build by local communities. The result is the “St Ayles Skiff” - 22ft long, with a beam of 5’8”. The crew consists of four oarsmen or women with a coxswain to steer the boat and to exhort the crew to greater effort when racing!

Newhaven Coastal Rowers have taken up the challenge, and are now one of 14 communities that have ordered the building kit to be completed by May 2010 in time for the first Regatta.

Newhaven Coastal Rowers are hoping that this will be a real community project, Trinity Academy are already involved, and local residents are very welcome to join in to help with this exciting project, either to help build, row or assist in fund raising activities to cover the £4000 building cost.

For more information email skiff@mapix.com or visit
http://newhavenrowing.wordpress.com