Harry Risk, the Chairman of the Troon Coastal Rowing Club, one of the early clubs to form, said he was impressed with the organisation behind the 2016 Skiffie Worlds held at Delamont Country Park on the shores of Strangford Lough.
Troon, located on the South West Scottish coast, is known by many County Down fishermen as a busy fishing port where trawlers land mainly prawns caught in the Firth of Clyde area.
He said: “It is just amazing what has been achieved in two years. I first came over initially to County Down in January 2014 with our own skiff to demonstrate it on an invitation from the Strangford Lough and Lecale Partnership. We went to a couple of local towns such as Strangford and Portaferry and we were well received. There appeared to be a genuine interest in boat building and rowing, which are the two main aims of the Scottish Coastal Rowing Association. It appears that seven skiffs have now been built in County Down in the past two years.
“It was encouraging to see the Strangford Lough and Lecale Partnership digging deep and finding the funding to build seven St Ayle’s skiffs so far in local coastal communities. As always there is a difference in how some clubs get involved in the rowing end of it but we were really impressed with the Dundrum clubs performance. They certainly proved they were up for it on the week and must have trained hard to beat tough competition such as Broughty Ferry and Eastern.
“Our Troon club has around sixty members, and some are social rowers and a few are more competitive. It is a good balance. But it is certainly a bit more difficult to attract the younger members as they have other interests and often head off to university and other place to continue their educations.
“Everyone was impressed with the scenic beauty of the venue at Delamont Country Park. It was a lovely spot. There must have been very considerable organisation put into this event by the two councils – Newry Mourne and Down District Council and Ards and North Down Borough Council. It certainly showed throughout the week. And managing the racing itself, the Scottish Coastal Rowing Association did a great job as usual.”
Harry explained that his home port of Troon has a big sheltered harbour and bay and that the club was part of the Troon Yacht Haven. He said: “We remember the first skiff being built and coastal rowing has come a long way since then in a relatively short time and continues to grow. There are now over 200 skiffs in the skiff movement and each one is numbered. Most are in Scotland but others are scattered around from Europe to Canada and Tasmania.
“In Troon we are planning to build a water sports centre in the near future and this too should be a big boost to this recreational sport. We have strong female participation in our club and we had four men and eight women over to County Down rowing in the Skiffie Worlds.
“Thankfully the weather was reasonable with a bit of rain on Thursday and the teams got a bit of a soaking with a shower of rain as they rowed to Strangford on the closing evening from Delamont Country Park in a flotilla accompanied by a group of safety boats, two tall ships and several yachts and small craft. It was quite a spectacle to see.
“We stayed locally in the Dufferin Arms in Killyleagh and were very comfortable. Once again, the atmosphere in the Skiffie Worlds was terrific, and the closing ceremony in the big marquee in Strangford’s Green was a great evening of fun for all the rowers and the volunteers and supporters who put their backs into it during the week. A very memorable event indeed and congratulations to all who made this event such a success.
“Perhaps Troon might even be the venue for the next Skiffie Worlds in three years time, but that is a long way away at the moment.”
