Achieving the impressive task of mustering twenty six teenagers on the beach by 10.00am on a Sunday morning was just the start of a fantastic day which marked a welcome return to inter-club rowing.
Eastern Amateur Rowing Club and South Queensferry travelled to our beautiful coastal waters in North Berwick to venture round the island of Craigleith in Enid Blyton style and take part in mini sprints round the bay.
The row in company saw five boats disappear round the harbour wall, the most skiffs seen together in North Berwick for over a year. Lizzie Cowan, from NBRC, who coxed a mixed club crew of girls thought she might need to fill in some awkward gaps in the conversation but her worries were unfounded when the girls readily chatted across a diverse set of topics including mascara, kittens and algebra during their row.
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On returning to shore the junior rowers took on some refreshments, generously provided by the NBRC’s club mates, and studied the crew lists for the sprint course set up by North Berwick’s Robbie Wightman and Dave Davidson.
The girls went out first and Eastern’s crew showed their power and rowing style which gave them the advantage for a win against a North Berwick/South Queensferry mix. North Berwick’s older boys came out with the fastest time of the day in the next set of races with all three crews discovering how buoy turns work for the first time. The final races of the day saw NBRC younger boys coxed by Jacque Turner take the win over a South Queensferry/Eastern mixed crew that included some of the youngest rowers to take part.
The effort and determination of every crew was a delight to see and they were rewarded with a burst of sunshine during further refreshments and presentation of the beautiful medals made by the very creative Cowan family. Taking home your first coastal rowing medal is a memory to cherish.
Everyone agreed it was a delight to be back mixing with other clubs and seeing so many young people, the future of our clubs, leading the way.
This is our normal.
Claire Simpson
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