News

It's official - we are afloat! The last weekend of May marked the culmination of a 6-year effort to get our skiff "Irene" onto the water. We spent Saturday on the high street and around town showing her off, adorned in flags. The boat attracted quite a lot of attention, and we managed to recruit a few new members! The official launch was on Sunday. "Irene" was formally christened by her namesake, to whom we are eternally grateful for providing us with our build space. (Not to mention keeping us well-supplied with scones throughout our enterprise!)https://youtu.be/CK9IYBsOx9UAlso in attendance was Jim (a local boatbuilder without whom the boat wouldn't have been finished), and contingents from a number of local rowing clubs. North Queensferry, South Queensferry, Anstruther and St Andrews all brought their own skiffs to escort us to our new berth.  After a parade around the bay... ...and a salute from Anstruther... ...we rowed in company from the slipway to Burntisland Sailing Club for some well-deserved refreshments! It's fair to say that this road has been much longer than any of us could have anticipated. The COVID pandemic very nearly derailed our project and it took us a long time to regain momentum. Now that we're actually 'afloat' (pun intended), we hope to attract new members - so if you're interested in joining our community, please get in touch!Report by Finlay Robertson All photos by Cat Morley / Sidetrack

Yes, that's our skiff ... and yes, it's in the water! In preparation for an official launch in Burntisland on Sunday 26th May, we undertook a set of 'sea trials' at Kinghorn Loch. On the 5th May, four years after COVID forced us to postpone our build, we were able to enjoy the sight of our boat in her element. The day started off with a gathering of members and helpers at the workshop. Have you ever tried to get a 22-foot boat through a door before? Us neither.  But after a bit of jostling we managed to get her manoeuvred out and sat upon her road trailer.  Our departure from the workshop highlights the great debt of thanks we owe to Irene, a Burntisland resident who gracefully offered us a rent-free boatbuilding space when we began our enterprise four years ago. Somehow she never tired of our presence as we navigated our way through lockdowns, delays and setbacks. The privilege of imparting the traditional sprinkling of whisky went to one of the younger associates of the club! The skiff's first crew - comprising Chris, Finlay, Lily, both Martins, Joel, Aidan and Elisa - proceeded to take her for a test drive. She's proven an absolute delight to row, and a handful of minor teething issues will be rectified in the coming days. With the successful completion of trials, our skiff is ready to be moved to her permanent berth at Burntisland Sailing Club. We'll launch on 26th May at 2pm from the slipway by the Beacons Leisure Centre. Feel free to come by for a look and a chat if you think rowing might be for you!Report by Finlay Robertson

With our St Ayles Skiff build rapidly nearing its conclusion, now is a good time to begin sharing details of the work we've been doing to develop the infrastructure that will actually allow us to get onto the water. We do have access to a public slipway in Burntisland. Unfortunately, it's only of practical use for launch and recovery of boats when the tide is in. This introduces a limitation that we're keen to overcome. Through BRRC's association with Burntisland Sailing Club, we've secured the use of one of their pontoons in the East Dock. This will allow us access at all states of tide. Have you been following the progress of our St Ayles Skiff build? If so, you'll know the boat is constructed largely from marine-grade plywood. Although this is a resilient material, it does have a habit of soaking up water over time in boats kept permanently afloat. It doesn't necessarily cause any physical harm, but it does make the boat heavier. This is not something that's desirable in a vessel we may wish to race!  The compromise is a floating dock, seen here under construction and in its final position on the sailing club pontoons. It's been designed to our own specifications and will allow us to keep the boat on a pontoon finger but elevated out of the water. Rollers along the centre will allow us to slide the boat in and out of the water with ease ... at least in theory! Be sure to keep an eye out for club news, either here or on our Facebook page. With our St Ayles Skiff build almost complete, we're beginning to make preparations for the formal boat launch. We'll publicise this far and wide as soon as we confirm a date! Report by Finlay Robertson

This past year has simply been about completing and equipping the boat. It is not yet complete but, other than a few more coats of paint and some fittings we are nearly there. Without the dedication of a few key members, and some external help, we would not be at this position.  We are very grateful for all the help. 2024 must be about raising our profile, launching the boat and increasing our profile. We have secured a berth at Burntisland Sailing Club and we owe a significant debt of gratitude to their members for supporting us in many ways and we hope they will continue to do so. I hope we can now look to increase the membership and that is something we can all do.  I also hope we can get new people involved in the running of the club and perhaps take on some of the office bearing roles;  I think we need a new skill set to move the club on from the fund raising and build phase to establishing a club with strong member support.   We managed to hold a barbeque at the Cromwell Kitchen in the summer and other than a couple of other low-key gatherings at Glassliehead Farm this was really the only organised social event we managed to hold.  I very much hope that the members can take this challenge up and develop the social side of the club going forward. So, whether you have helped in the build or not, what we need now is a collective effort to establish BRRC as a growing and inclusive club. I look forward to seeing that develop. Chair's report by Martin Birrell