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On Sunday 13th September the wind of the previous few days finally subsided and we took the opportunity to enjoy a wee 'excursion' row to Inchkeith. Maria, Karen and Douglas - led by Chris and Finlay who had done all the necessary passage planning - set out early in the afternoon on the 4-mile row from Burntisland to the island. Conditions were excellent and the crew made good progress - first to a shipping channel buoy that marked our halfway point, and then on to the west side of Inchkeith. Here Chris's local knowledge was invaluable as we passed Seal Carr (which was inhabited solely by cormorants) before heading into the small harbour. High tide meant the many 'tricky' rocks were covered - but Chris took us carefully in to tie up at the sea wall. Inchkeith HarbourWe then walked up to the lighthouse through what can only be described as a desolate post-apocalyptic landscape seemingly covered in bleached rabbit bones. The lighthouse itself is, of course, well maintained - but everything else that related to wartime defences, when it was home to over 1,000 troops, was just in ruins. It really did feel quite eerie - broken doors and windows, old chairs and tables, rusting old bedsteads, an overgrown drying green alongside what appeared to have once been a small orchard - all kind of surreal. It really seemed hard to believe that an island so close to Edinburgh and the busy Fife coast could feel so totally isolated.https://youtu.be/RcaRWO59TQwA short panoramic video from the top of the islandChris and Finlay had obviously done a little research and were able to give us a little more of the island's history. Quite apart from its 'recent' wartime history, it has been home to Stevenson's lighthouse since 1786. It has been a quarantine island, as well as the site of a language experiment in 1493 when King James IV placed two infant children there along with a mute nanny to see if they would naturally speak Hebrew - astonishingly they didn't! Further research since then suggests Inchkeith's story goes back a whole lot further to Pictish times and beyond. It is well worth a look. Ruined buildings, looking south towards EdinburghWe spent about an hour ashore before we headed back home. As well as being a wonderful row, it was also an absolutely fascinating afternoon. It is somewhere we will definitely return to as a club - and I would thoroughly recommend it. The crew, with Inchkeith Lighthouse behindReport by Douglas Young

Following on from the undoubted success of our Summer Solstice row, we thought it might be a good idea to mark another, much rarer, astronomical event - a 94% solar eclipse - too. So, on Wednesday 12th August, on a lovely calm evening, Elisa, Catherine, Karen, Finlay, Gavin and Douglas joined a flotilla from the Sailing Club out on the Forth. When we met in the clubhouse we were all keen to show off our various 'instruments' that would allow us to observe the eclipse safely. We had a colander, a tin lid that looked like the worst colander ever, and two bits of card covered in white paper that Blue Peter would have been proud of. Fortunately, we also had a pair of proper eclipse glasses courtesy of Gavin, and Finlay's Grandad's superb old sextant - a genuinely beautiful antique instrument equipped with appropriate filters, too.  A selection of eclipse-viewing tools!We set off a wee while before the eclipse was going to start and initially rowed along to have a closer look at the Xin Yoa Hua, the large ship anchored off Burntisland that week, before heading back to join the assembled yachts. Just after 6pm, with the sun partially obscured by light cloud cover, the eclipse started. It then became apparent that the colander and the card weren't going to cut it - it simply wasn't bright enough. That said, the eclipse glasses and the sextant were brilliant. Even through the hazy clouds you could clearly see the passage of the moon across the sun. As the eclipse moved on, the chill in the air coupled to the stillness of the water added to a sense of something being just a little special. Heavy lift ship Xin Yoa Hua in the background Cox Elisa observing the eclipse through a sextantAs everyone on the East Coast knows, the cloud cover gradually grew thicker, making the eclipse hard to observe - even through the decent instruments. Indeed, by then, our colander was barely creating a shadow!It was then we realised that while we had been looking skyward we had drifted gently East - almost back alongside the big ship - so some proper rowing was required to get us home to the pontoon.  Enjoying the semi-light of the evening eclipse The sailing club flotilla rafted upLike the Midsummer Night's row, the conditions for rowing were perfect. Clearly in 2026 we need to align our rows with major astronomical events. I'm already digging out warm clothing and looking forward to the Winter Solstice!Report by Douglas Young

When cox Finlay suggested a "Midsummer Night's Row", he was apprehensive that the club would think he was mad, and no-one would sign up.  Nervously checking the spreadsheet an hour later, he was both surprised and delighted to see that the sign-up sheet was full! Throughout May and June, time and again rows were cancelled due to high winds, and so the crew of Finlay, Gavin, Maria, Rosie, Karen and Liane followed the forecast avidly - would this planned row even happen? But as the date approached, the weather gods were smiling upon us. The tempest abated and our Midsummer Night's Row was on! 3:30 am  - Irene with her Lights and Radar Reflector! Basking in the Light of the Summer Solstice Sunrise!Early to bed for everyone on Saturday night, with kit laid out and numerous alarms set.  No-one was going to be late for our 3:30 am rendezvous at the gate!  Already it was surprisingly light and we quickly readied and launched Irene for her midsummer outing.  As we left the eerily quiet harbour, the true beauty of the night hit us all - the usually choppy Forth was as calm as a millpond; the air was warm; not a noise could be heard but the gentle splash of our oars, and a seal popped its head up to send us off on our way.  We rowed east, towards the sunrise, past our namesake Black Rocks, soaking up the stillness and tranquility, shared only with the puffins which were out in force at that early hour of the day.  Just before sunrise Finlay gave the "easy oars" instruction and we sat quietly watching the sky changing colour above Kinghorn headland - ever-changing yellows, oranges and reds. Finally the sun itself rose above the headland, flooding the sea with sparkling light.  A truly sensational sunrise and a special moment for us all. Then came the coffees, muffins and flapjacks: an equally special moment for the rowers! Photo courtesy of The Water of FifeEveryone was keen to stay out on the water so we rowed on past Kinghorn, detouring slightly to have a wee nosey round the harbour, enjoying the calmest waters we had ever experienced, while watching the village quietly wake up to the day as we passed.  Realising the day had officially begun for the rest of the world, we turned and headed for home, glowing with happiness at how lucky we had all been.A truly wonderful 11 km row.  Special thanks to Finlay for all his hard work and dedication keeping us safe on our outing, and to Rosie for ensuring we got some spectacular photos from the shore, taken by The Water of Fife, as well as the whole crew for their onboard photos, good banter and fabulous company. Photo courtesy of The Water of FifeReport by Karen YoungAdditional photographs courtesy of The Water of Fife

We got the 2026 regatta season off to a cracking start at the aptly-named 'Frostbite' regatta at Kinghorn Loch on 1st February. This is a really friendly local event, and was an excellent opportunity for some of our members to have their first or second taste of competitive rowing. As always, the catering laid on by Kinghorn Coastal Rowing Club was second to none, and we even had the very best of February's weather on offer. 11 of our members participated in a total of 7 events against clubs from Elie, Anstruther, North Queensferry, St Andrews, Wormit, and Kinghorn. Timekeeper Brian The Results!We experienced a number of moments of special excitement including a broken footrest, hasty repairs made against the clock, and pulling an unsuspecting bystander from Wormit Rowing Club into the boat at the very last second to complete a crew - big thanks to Gail, who helped us win that race!The event finished up with a 'mix-and-match' event, which saw crews from different clubs rowing together and trying out each others' boats. We also took the opportunity to take some of our younger supporters out for a potter - it's wonderful to be surrounded by so many enthusiastic rowers! A Winning Crew?Report by Finlay Robertson