Our Club

Welcome to the new St Abbs Rowing Club’s website. As I write this (28/6/2017)  we are still working to get everything setup so that we can get the Puffin back in the water in the next few weeks.

We are looking for new members to join the club and will shortly be adding memberships forms for you to download. If you would like to become a member please send us an e-mail to: contact@stabbsrowingclub.org.uk and one of our team will get in contact with you.

We are also working get the boat insured, and we hope this will be complete in the next week or two.

The plan is to get the Puffin back into the sea as soon as possible.

Why join the St Abbs Rowing Club
St Abbs is a beutiful place to take to the water.

Our Boat

Our boat is a St Ayles Skiff called the Puffin. She was the eigth St Ayles Skiff built back in 2010.

What is a St Ayles Skiff?

It is a boat designed by the famous small boat designer Iain Oughtred. Based on the lines of the traditional Fair Isle Skiff, but addapted so that it can be built using the Clinker / Lapstrake Ply construction. St Ayles skiffs are 22 feet in length and 5ft 6inches in breadth. And are design for a crew of five. Four rowers and a coxswain.

The design of the St Ayles skiff was commissioned by the Scottish Fisheries Museum in Anstruther. Alec Jordan of Jordan Boats then turned this design into a kit which has allow novice boat builders around Scotland to build St Ayles skiffs for their communities.

Building the Puffin

The prototype St Ayles skiff (Chris o’ Kanaird) come to visit Eyemouth and St Abbs on the 27 March 2010. That very afternoon a generous donor put up the money to purchase the kit which would become the Puffin.

Our boat Puffin was built in unison with the Eyemouth boat called Unity. It was a real joint community effort.

The Puffin was officially launched on the 18 September 2010 being name by Julie McBirnie.

Rowing Club

Over the next few years the Puffin was rowed regulary in conjunction with the Eyemouth boat – Unity.

She attended the row up the river Tweed from Berwick to Paxton House.

And took part in the herring queen celebrations

Where has the Puffin been?

When we started to build the Puffin back in 2010 we setup a registered charity called the “St Abbs Coastal Rowing Association”. And after the Puffin was lauched it was  rowed for a couple of years out of Eyemouth and St Abbs.

However the opportunity arose for a local group to purchase the historic sailing fifie, then known as the “Robina Inglis”, and bring her to Eyemouth. However to do this we needed a registered charity. So we changed the name of the “St Abbs Coastal Rowing Association” to the “Berwickshire Maritime Trust” and successfully bought and restore the fifie, renaming her the “Good Hope”. As this was what she was called when last moored in Eyemouth in the 1940s.

While the focus was on the restoration of the Good Hope the Puffin was sadly neglected. But she was loaned to other coastal rowing clubs. And a couple of guys (Ian and Frazer) from North Berwick borrowed her in their attempt to row around Scotland.

The give her a well bit love and attention, and a coat of Navy Blue paint. But sadly they never got the chance to start their row. So the Puffin was placed back into storage.

So as the work of the Berwickshire Maritime Trust has evolve away from Coastal Rowing and is now more focussed on operating the Good Hope and running a men’s shed in Eyemouth,  it was decided that the best way for the Puffin to be managed and used was to setup a new rowing club in St Abbs.

The Puffin has been transferred into the ownership of the St Abbs Community Trust and will be operated by the St Abbs Rowing Club to ensure she will continue to be a village asset for year to come.

Back to St Abbs

She’s ready to row we just need people like you to crew her.

 

How to Join

Come and Try

We are intending to have regular rowing session every Saturday morning (Weather permitting) starting at 11:00am. You’re more than welcome to come along and meet with us and give rowing a try.

Membership Fees

The yearly membership fee is £25 per person or £40 for a couple. We currently only accept members aged 18 years and over.

Contact Us

So if you are interested please get in contact, you can e-mail us at: contact@stabbsrowingclub.org.uk

Useful Links

Scottish Coastal Rowing Association
The Scottish Coastal Rowing Association was formed on 29 May 2010 to encourage boat building and rowing and racing of coastal rowing boats around the Scottish Coastline. Communities are encouraged to become involved in the building of new boats to be rowed, principally the St Ayles skiff.

www.scottishcoastalrowing.org

St Abbs Lifeboat
The St Abbs Lifeboat is a fully operation search and rescue service which is independent from the RNLI and extirely funded by the community. Many of the members of St Abbs Rowing Club are activily involved in crewing and supporting the lifeboat.

www.stabbslifeboat.org.uk

Tide Times – Eyemouth
The nearest port with published tide time is Eyemouth. As St Abbs is only a few miles north the difference is small.

www.tidetimes.org.uk/eyemouth-tide-times