Coigach Lass

There he is…on the bow oar in the winning boat! In front of him Alan, Mark and Nick pulling in the good, strong, solid style the Coigach Lass is becoming well known for. Di, (Cox)  giving it laldy over the wind and spray. (Click on the photos to enlarge. Thanks to NB Club for use of pics.)

Was a rough old day at the North Berwick Boat Muster on Saturday but the men’s and women’s longer-distance crews of Nick, Alan, Mark, Ish, Alison, Louise, Sue and Di the cox couldn’t wait to get out on the water – even with the prospect of the over 2-mile row through a good swell, wind and white tops round Craigleith Island which could be seen way in the distance, hunkering down, gannet bestrewn, in the Firth of Forth!

Hang on you’ll be saying. She’s missed out a male crew member…only three names there.

Nope. We left Achiltibuie  a man short hoping to borrow beg or steal a spare, strapping, powerhouse of a rower from another community to fill the spare place on the Men’s Team bow oar. If all else failed I was to take the oar and I was secretly, desperately hoping……..!

But only minutes before the first race there was Dennis from North Berwick- volunteering… only rowed two or three times he told us but before you could say Tom Norrie (who was Tom Norrie??) we had a Coigach Lass lifejacket on him  and he was in the boat with the men’s team having a stream of instructions  barked at him from all sides and a jumble of tactics rained down on his head.

‘One at a time please!’ the shore party of us Coigach Lass women heard him wail as the instructions flew at him from all sides as the oars went in the water ….and before he had time to change his mind the Lass was off round to the Start – bobbing in the considerable chop.

Well he must have been doing something right because the Lass was in the lead from first off, was first to turn round the back of Craigleith, lost it a bit, then were first boat round the rock!

Click on the photo above to enlarge and get an indication of how rough it was. Di steered an excellent course; close but not too close to the sheer cliff at the back of the rock. Crew members shouted suggestions…’Shut up you lot! I’m the bloody cox here; we’ll go where I bloomin well steer!’ put paid to any interference from the crew.  (Well, to be fair, she had slept the night before on the back seat of the Lass‘s tow vehicle in a sleeping bag so thin and flimsy that you could have shelled peas through it, emerged hoarse and grumpy in her Damarts at a chilly seven in the morning complaining bitterly that she was never going to camp again as she stomped furiously off to the distant toilet block. Good pre-race coxing preparation we all agreed!)

And then our men were on the home straight… a gutsy fight against wind, wave and aching lungs to keep the North Berwick crew on their home patch from making sea on them….And look (above) at Dennis from North Berwick in the bow pulling like a hero! Click on the photo-it’s a topper! Hope he’s not been sent to Coventry for helping the opposition!

Spectators could hear Di shouting the stoke numbers at the crew above the wind even as the Coigach Lass crossed the line a convincing way ahead of the opposition. A fantastic effort and a good win !

With the threat of worsening weather  the Women’s Crew of (stroke to bow) Louise, Ish, Alison and Sue, though eligible for the later Women’s over 40, decided to go for it in the Women’s open round the rock.Here they are (centre of picture – above Portobello’s ‘Ice Breaker’ and below Port Seton’s ‘Boatie Rows’ and North Berwicks ‘St Baldrick’ ready to ramp it up for a fast start; Di coxing again.

The testing – and frightening -lumpy journey out to the Rock… pulling away from the ‘Ice Breaker’ in this shot.

Going well and just in the lead at the rock… but the unexpected happened. Louise’s stroke oar kabe (the stout lump of oak that her oar pulls against) split and broke and vital rowing time was  lost as the spare kabe was banged down into place to allow Louise to row. And all this happening as the boat was being lobbed around by wind waves and swell. What guts the crew had to carry on! Thanks to the three NB safety boats for just being there!

The women’s crew never recovered the lead though a fantastic effort was made and our women had to content themselves with a close second. Well done though!

Sadly the weather was even worse when we woke from our  camping slumbers on Sunday morning hoping to take part in a number of shorter races-  including the Mixed 55+ to be crewed by new Coigach Lass rowers Bill and Jean from Tanera and old hands Lesley and Ken W.

Not looking good as the wind whipped even the sheltered glades of our campsite. Didn’t stop Mark getting the black pudding, sausage and bacon on the stove and Nick, having soaked the oats the night before, whipping up a rib sticking pan of porridge for the rowers. Good stuff! Spirits were still high and hopeful but as we got sight of the sea on leaving camp for the harbour the leaping white horses spelled out the end of our racing hopes for the day in lacy spume.

Thanks to all the other skiffies for the usual great craic and banter and particular thanks to Robbie and Jan and all at North Berwick rowing Club and the sailing club for first class hospitality. See y’all next year.

In the pic above there’s (l to r in the boat ) Alan, Nick, Mark and Dan (with breath enough after the race for a victory whoop!) and Di in the cox’s seat- having just won the final of the Open Men’s race…

The women’s crews and mixed all made it to the finals -every one ; a fantastic effort…Here’s the over 40 Women getting their breath back: bow to stern, Ish, Alison, Sue and Di with Mark coxing. Looks like Trigger wants on board too.

Our lovely, battling ‘Coigach Lass’ went down the long road to Portobello crewed by, variously, Nick, Dan, Mark,Alan, Grethe, Ish, Sue, Alison and Di and ably coxed by Mark and Di .

Just a small pool of rowers you see- but every single one determined to have fun whilst giving all the other boats a good run for their money. Yours truly sadly unable to be there; busy disporting myself around the island of Eigg.

So perhaps it was the breakfast black pudding…..Hmmm. Thinks.  “Should we be seeking sponsorship from Cockburns, Black Pudding makers…..”  Whatever, the Coigach crews had great craic.

L to R Coigach Lass Men’s Open Crew: Dan Walton, Di Wilding (Cox) Alan Pendred, Nic Clooney, Mark Irvine  all insanely, but rightly, proud of their lovely hand-crafted medals.

Fab time was had by all and, frankly, though I could eat my hat I’m so jealous of those who were able to go, respect has to go to Andres Leslie and the rest of the Porty lot and all the others who organised the whole day so well and made the whole regatta so much fun. Cheers y’all. See you up in the ‘Buie some time soon! Thanks to Jill Clooney for photos. Happy Birthday Jill !x

Local hearts were bursting with pride when news filtered home from the Portobello Regatta this past weekend that our crews had all got through to the finals in their races-  the Women’s over 40 just pipped at photo finish- and, the icing on the cake of what sounds to have been a tremendous day,  our Men’s Open Crew of the day won a decisive victory!!!!

Look right to the Other Skiffies section and click on the Portobello one for full list of results and pictures and videos of the event. Lots of our own pictures, crew list and further details here shortly when yours truly gets back from holiday on the Island of Eigg and gets it all up here for you. Slainthe!

Click above to see Chris Perkins’ video footage of a couple of the races. Thanks Chris!

Bonny day for it ‘Round the Pier’ at Ullapool today.

Our friendly rivals, the crews of the bold ‘Ulla’, went head to head with ‘Coigach Lass’ crews in a series of four races. It was great fun…and we are all learning more about finessing our boats’ performance; steerboards, oars, and their accoutrements -  kabes on the ‘Lass’ and thole pins on the ‘Ulla’ were hotly discussed and compared…..The ‘Lass’ with her repaired, old, coble oars in the middle of the boat and the shorter Ron R/Ali beag made Douglas Fir oars at bow and stroke seem to do the business for Coigach! Here’s the ‘Lass’ Open Men’s Crew (above) pulling ahead… Scroll over the photos for captions.

Oh, there’s a bonny-like bend in those oars! Stroke! The ‘Lass’ Mixed Open Crew giving it up for Coigach!

Women’s Open Crew warm down after winning a close race against their ‘Ulla’ peers. Only half a boat length in it! A great effort by both crews.The Lass’s Open Men’s Crew giving it the ‘Big Five’ in the ‘Ulla’ to see how she feels… ooops Dan breaks an oar. All in the friendly spirit of Coastal Rowing. Topher can turn out another B&Q quickie in under half an hour tho’! That Viking Steerboard on the Ulla is churning the water… must have a braking effect surely…..

And now the prizes! Thanks to Ullapool skiffies and yachties for a great afternoon’s fun and frolics! And for the recycled mini-trophies. Spot on!

Alison, Lesley, Ish and  Grethe  get the cup-ette! (Left)

Below, Steve, Mark, Nick and Dan with their ….cup?

(Bottom left) Alan, Sam and Sue (Anne Marie not in photo- kids needed chips I think) with their top cuppage…

Many, many thanks to Chris Perkins for wonderful photographs!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fw4bWJWas0

Click on the above to see…and hear… the race. Thanks to Chris Perkins for this and all the fab cakes he left for hungry rowers!

The ‘Coigach Lass’ racing Crews ….and a builder!

L to R:  Mark Irvine (rower, Cox), Nic Clooney, (rower), Kimberley Colclough, (rower), Alan Pendred, (rower), Iseabail Muir, (rower), Lesley Muir (rower, Cox), Louise Mackenzie, (rower), Dan Walton, (rower), Steve Husband, (rower), Ali (beag) Macleod, (one of 2 lead builders), random dude, Alison Hitchings, (rower.)

To massive cheers from our supporters- and the crowds- lining the harbour walls at the very busy Portsoy Traditional Boat Festival on Saturday, the Lass’s Open Men’s team for the day battled a headwind on the return leg of the race to storm home in the finals as the triumphant Men’s Open St Ayles Skiff crew.

A fantastic achievement of pure determination, tenacity and stubborn willpower against crews drawn from much larger communities! Every single race our rowers entered, men’s women’s mixed and junior, they gave their all despite blisters and pulled muscles! They were all winners.

What a weekend – with all our rowers and their kids, spouses, partners, friends …and dogs…. having a brilliant couple of days. Photos pouring in and I have been promised footage of the winning final. Come back soon when I have caught breath to blog it all up! See Topher’s (of the ‘Ulla’) comment on the right.

Skiffies of the opposition… be very afraid. Our over 40s men’s team snapped 2 – TWO – fifteen foot, heavy coble oars on their first ever training session as a team last night. Mwa-ha-ha!

So, above, you see Steve creating an x-scarphe to mend the oars. (Just made that term up. Descriptive tho’…)

There he is.  Clamps …and carpenter shorts….akimbo.

Will we have oars to practise with tomorrow night? Well, when I was down at the ‘boatshed’ making cups of tea for the worker it looked like a sweet job.

If it doesn’t work, that little oar is gonna look a little lonesome on its ownsome there in the ‘Lass’.

But hey! I have complete faith in be-shorted Steve and the power of epoxy.

Bring on Portsoy Traditional Boat Festival and the St Ayles Skiff rowing events this coming weekend!  (Google it.)

Bring on the competition!  And, er…..bring on the spare oars!

A lovely evening for a row! A gaggle of girls put the ‘Lass’ through her paces – with young Finlay, age 11, coxing – in preparation for the racing at the Portsoy Traditional Boat Festival on 26th 27th June. Tanera Mor looking dark and mysterious  in the background at about half eight this evening….

Women’s over 40 crew rowers Louise, Ish, myself, Una, Alison and Ann- Marie were out this evening all getting the hang of the mysteries of coastal rowing in Coigach’s very own St Ayles skiff….and keen youngsters Chrissie and Finlay did very well as learner Coxes.

(It’s the ‘re-hydration at the end….!)

Her first races.

Anstruther Harbour in the sun and a sea breeze!

Sun, sea, . . . . . spectators! Rowing, sweating, pulling, cheering, adrenalin rush, the craic, best fish suppers in the free world, ‘The Ship’ pub, the craic, ‘Reaper Ale’, ‘Strip-the-willow on the lawn, vodka punch, stovies at midnight, the craic, new friends, old friends, smiling faces, real hospitality. . . . .

That’s all.          Look at the pictures now.

Coigach Crews and kids with our Gaelforce-donated crew savers. Thanks Gaelforce, Inverness!

1st race nerves

Women's over 40 crew backrowing out to turn and head for start line

The beach action. Photo (c) P Nisbet

Di, the Cox - smiling mid-race! Photo (c) P Nesbit

Happy rowers back on the beach, Anstruther crew. Photo (c) P Nesbit

Anstruther crew foreground, ‘Coigach Lass’ men’s crew in distance. It was lumpy!                    Photo (c) P Nisbet.

Port Seton Boat V the Ulla – head to head! Photo (c) P Nisbet

The childcare arrangements at the event were good!

Aw. Racing over. Get the ‘Lass’ on the trailer. Now. .  mine’s a pint of ‘Reaper’ please. . . !

With Hamish having topped up the power steering fluid and changed a dodgy tyre for us ahead of departure on Friday 28th, the community minibus set off at 3pm for Anstruther in Fife with half the rowing team members, Alison, Finlay and Seumas, Nick, Stan and Gregor and me plus all our camping gear, the ‘Lass’s lifejackets and enough sweeties to choke a stott!

Ron D in his car towing the ‘Lass’ had gone on ahead followed by Phil and Di, Louise and Catriona and Ken W in their cars; leaving as work allowed.

And what a weekend we all had!  How did we do? Well, we didn’t win but the ‘Lass’ certainly did Coigach, her rowers and her builders proud! For the details of our  three races watch this space but meanwhile here’s a shot of  our Over 40s Women’s crew, bow to stern, Sue, me, Alison, Louise and Di  (Cox) getting into position at the starting line for our first race. Thanks to P Nisbet for photo.

Looking darned fetching in her bright blue and mahogany livery, the’ Coigach Lass’ was piped down the slip at Old Dornie yesterday in calm, warm weather. The youngest coigach lass in our local school, wee Mairead, had wetted the ‘Lass’s prow with a good dram of malt whisky to a great cheer from the crowd and Al School blew a rousing tune on his pipes as Ron D, Ali Beag, Steve, Sam, Lesley, Iain, Ken, Nick and Andrew carried her down and let her hull kiss the sea for the first time!

Cathy Mac had even iced her cake to match…    

Ah, but when she got on the water and the rowers, Steve, Ron D, Ali Beag, and Lesley had sorted out the oars and cox Ken had settled himself into his comfy slatted perch at the stern, she slipped over the glassy, clear water like…like.. help me here……well, just like a very slippy, fast, steady skiff should. It felt great!

And after the first somewhat ceremonial turn round the bay, there was a line of folk waiting to grab one of the 5 lifejackets donated by one of our generous sponsors, Gaelforce of Inverness, and just get out in the ‘Lass’ ! Bill W had brought his RIB round from Tanera and went way beyond the call of duty accompanying the ‘Lass’ as she took crew after crew out for a spin. He worked up a fair appetite though and was relieved of his safety boat efforts long enough to get one of Nick’s  tasty home-made burgers down the hatch. By 4.30 Sue and Elspeth had Hamish’s  barbie going well, trays of cooked spineys and prawns, Hydroponic salad, scones and pancakes had appeared and the kids devoured their icecreams and cake.

So many people to thank for incredible hard work, the countless favours, the  jobs just quietly and thoughtfully done throughout the progress of the build. The support of all the wellwishers who dropped in over the build to see progress.

Ron D and Ali Beag ! What to say! Tireless and skilled workers on the build. What a superb job they have done- ever cheerful over many many hours of hard, painstaking graft.  And Steve H of course, with his bottomless resource of tools, lovely touches of craftsmanship round the boat and the brilliant bespoke trailer he has made for the ‘Lass.’ Despite having a job which takes him away a lot, he got the trailer pretty much finished working late into the night before the launch. Thanks also to Ron R for oars, and the ‘Lass’s nameplates completed in lovely celtic script,  Ken L for help with the hull paintwork, Chris F-B, Iain M, Amdrew Mac, and Chris P for photography. Got to thank Topher D, Chris P of the ‘ Ulla’ build in Ullapool who gave us so much of their time and advice (and top cake-age) throughout the build…. a better ‘opposition’ we could not wish for! Thanx guys. Your surprise arrival in your beauty of a build, the ’Ulla,’ helped to make our launch day really special. Bill W’s patience and hard working safety boat  was much appreciated as was Al School’s piping-in of the ‘Lass’ and Hamish kindly lending his barbie……feel guilty leaving it for him to pick up uncleaned after the evening’s partying… and thanks to little Mairead who threw a lucky dram at the boat to start the launch! 

Thanks too, of course, to all the local businesses and locals and those folk with close connections to Coigach who contributed to the fundraising….. see past items here. The ‘Lass’would not be here without you all.   And now the rowing starts! The first teams are off down to Anstruther this Friday to represent Coigach in the first ever Scottish Coastal Rowing event. Wish us luck!

 The personal contacts of Steve H and Ron D led to us being generously sponsored. And another local sponsor to be added to the list soon! These are/will be listed under the Sponsors Tab at the top of the page. Thanks sponsors! And thanks Maureen and Anne marie.. Ipinched these photos.

This Saturday, 22nd May is the day. Old Dornie harbour, Achiltibuie, is the place – and at 3.30 or so, with a bit of west coast time added in of course, she will be in the water!

She’ll be piped down the slip – bagpipes that is, for our non- UK blog-watchers-  and four rowers and a cox, none of whom have ever put an oar to kabe or faastiband before, will do their best to step up to the mark and row the ‘Lass’ away from the slip in good style.

Once she is in the water folk will have a chance to try the boat – a safety boat will be at the ready!

If weather permits, the barbie will be going. No doubt a wee dram or two will be taken.

Ice cream for the kids, some burgers, buns, relish there but bring something to put on.

Everyone  most welcome to be there to see a wee bit of Coigach history!