It would be a herculean task to try and describe 7 days at SkiffieWorlds 2025 but it does feel appropriate that we try and record something for future members to look back on. The 2025 World Championship for the St Ayles class of coastal rowing boat took place between Sunday 6th July and Saturday 12th July at Stranraer on Loch Ryan.
Stranraer 2025 was the fifth World Championship with the first being held in Ullapool in 2013. At this inaugural event, 32 boats took to the water with TCRC proudly taking part. Coigach Coastal Rowing Club from Achiltibuie won the overall championship.
Taking part every three years, the event then took place in:
2016 Strangford Lough 43 clubs Winners: Dundrum
2019 Stranraer 57 clubs Winners: Dundrum
2022 Kortgene, NL 54 clubs Winners: Dundrum
2025 Stranraer 79 clubs
Troon Coastal Rowing club has taken part in 4 of the 5 championships, only missing the one in Kortgene, which is fantastic for a small local club. The small town of Stranraer was buzzing last week with thousands of skiffie mad people and their friends and families and it was simply awesome.
Twenty members of Troon Coastal Rowing Club were scheduled to row in the championships over the week.
The club entered thirteen of the twenty five different race categories available.
The course was 2k comprising of a 1k run followed by a 180 degree turn to starboard and 1k back to the finish line.
Arriving on Sunday 6th you could feel the excitement in the air. Stranraer Water Sports Association (SWSA) and the many volunteers had done a great job in setting everything out and first stop was unpacking and boat scrutineering.
Joining Marjorie Jeffrey, Marr Voyager was crewed by Blue Hill Community Rowing from Maine who had travelled from America to take part in the competition. These guys were great and you couldn’t lose them in their bright yellow hats.
Once emptied of all their gear, MJ weighed in at a slim 157kg and MV at 191kg. We put the heavier weight down to the weight of past victories and experience soaked into MVs planks and gladly accepted that.
Once weighed, prodded, checked, admired and rudders measured (the boats not the crew), they were free to be repacked and returned to the boat yard. Wandering around staring at the shoal of skiffies was simply fantastic. The colours, designs and tangible excitement was delightful.
Like all Scottish events, the weather had alternative plans and didn’t care about SCRA,SASI or SWSA’s schedule for the day. Loch Ryan is a great location but not when there is a strong wind from the North and that’s exactly what we got for the day. The organisers made the right and painful decision that there would be no mass row in for the day but did get most boats on the beach which was a marvellous sight to see. The day culminated in a march from the beach along the prom, led by the local pipe band and was a great demonstration of how popular our sport has become. Packed up for the night, MJ and MV awaited the next day to see what the competition and weather would bring. Crews headed for accommodation or the long road back to Troon excited about what lay ahead.
Monday the 7th brought stronger winds and further bad news for our eager rowers. No rowing would take place and pre-race nerves would only get worse. Hope was however in sight as the weather was forecast to get better on Tuesday. Calculators, spreadsheets and much scratching of heads must have taken place by the organisers to try and squeeze so many races into the remaining days. They did a great job in rescheduling and communicating but Tuesday was going to be a rather busy day for clubs! Troon however had a new secret weapon. Eilidh, Lorna’s daughter and our favourite junior crew support champion, delivered the official TCRC lucky rowing bracelets. We all love them and wore them to every race throughout the week.
Monday evening was a sedate affair although we have heard “Deliverance” type tales of Adrian and Mike D wandering through the wild coastline and woods of Portpatrick together with cries of “Piggie Piggie” coming from the natives. I’m sure that will be explained further(especially to the younger members) at the next night out.
Tuesday the 8th arrived and the wind was no longer an issue. Back to our standard Scottish summer – no sun cream required!
First race of the day was the 40+ Women who would be racing in the first heat in lane 5 at 08.20am.
For this race Mike R was Cox with Harriet in Stroke and Lorna in seat 3. Adrienne took seat 2 and Kathleen was in Bow. The ladies were certainly up against tough competition and the sea was lumpy and the wind was blowing. Mike said “the guys had a bouncy row up to the turn where they executed a perfect turn with great acceleration away from the buoy”. The ladies came a respectable fifth in their heat. Unfortunately they weren’t fast enough to make the final but did finish in the top third of the table of over sixty competitors. Ardglass won the gold medal in this race.
The second race of the day was 40+ Men who would be racing in heat 2 in lane 2 at 10.40am.
Christine C was Cox for this race with Kevin in Stroke. Adrian took seat 3, Neil seat 2 and Mike D sat in Bow. The guys worked well together and put their heart and soul into every stroke. Smashing across the line in second place, just behind Eastern, secured them a place in the World Championship Finals. Nerves would have to be dealt with for the 3 hour wait until the final race. The guys were lined up on the start line and were off! The pace from the pack was incredible with Eastern leading the pack and finishing over a minute faster than their heat pace. Troon also raced at a quicker rate and finished an incredible 13th of 44 boats that participated. That’s TCRC 13th in the world!
Despite this fabulous achievement, the race will always be remembered for another reason! Voted by Christine C as funniest moment and Adrian as hero moment and Kevin as the most memorable moment, Mike D on spotting a thole pin floating away, stood up, dived out the boat head first and retrieved the runaway pin. This would have been seamless if he hadn’t been wearing an automatic inflating life jacket. Kevin still laughs at how he “then decided his water logged shoes would be adding extra weight and pulled them off and threw them out of the boat”.
Despite this small distraction, considering TCRC gave away a few years to the competition in this category, they did great!
The last race of the day for Troon was the 50+ Mixed. Troon were in heat 3 and placed in lane 2.
Mike R was Cox with Christine R in Stroke. Adrian sat in seat 3, Mike K in seat 2 and Kathleen took Bow.
The Troon crew charged towards the buoy and rowed well but against tough competition finished sixth in their heat. Unfortunately they did not make the final. The crew did however finish a respectable 24th out of 71 boats entered in this category.
The first day of racing was over and crews retreated to their respective sanctuaries to rest and reflect on a hard fought day where they could return with their heads held high.
Wednesday the 9th was going to be a busy day but our traditional Scottish weather had decided to be extra sunny and extra hot just to confuse our international visitors. Today TCRC was participating in four categories.
The first race of the day and fourth of the competition was the 60+ Men. They were competing in heat 4 and in lane 12 at 11.20am.
Christine C was Cox with Kevin in Stroke. Mike D was in 3, Neil in 2 and Paul in Bow.
Watching from Skiffie Hill (Okay maybe it wasn’t quite as big as the Wimbledon version but it was Stranraer after all) the Troon crowd was silent. Something had happened to Troon at the start of the race but we didn’t know what! We later found out that with the choppy seas, the starting buoy had got tangled on the rudder. Christine wrestled with it and managed to release it but the guys were way behind the pack! Undaunted, the guys fought on, dug deep and starting gaining on the pack. It was nail biting stuff on the hill and for Paul, in the boat, his highlight of the week, being part of a crew digging in and gaining ground despite the setback. The guys finished seventh in their heat and were applauded by some of the competition as they crossed the line. Unfortunately the issue meant the crew didn’t make the final of this category but still finished 25th of 54 entries.
Next up was the 60+ Women in heat 1 and in lane 15. Kevin took the hot seat for this race with Christine C in Stroke, Louise was in 3, Adrienne in 2 and Christine R in Bow.
Adrienne loved the new “rapping cox” technique employed by Kevin and it clearly worked because the ladies romped across the finish line in fourth place. Rumour has it they could even hear the screams from Skiffie Hill! Everyone waited with bated breath and had fingers crossed and lucky bracelets grasped to see the lineup for the finals. Soon afterwards the good news came through and our fabulous Troon ladies had made it to the world championship finals!
Jumping forward to the final race later in the evening, the ladies took to MJ again to fight for the pride of Troon. The atmosphere on the hill was electric as they took to the start line. Thirteen minutes and twenty six seconds later they crossed the finishing line in eighth place. The 60+ ladies were now 8th in the world and Troon heroes! Everyone in this crew selected this as their highlight on the water and Adrienne talked about “looking around at the other finalists and admiring all these women staying fit, active and doing something they love”. What a team!
The third category of the day and sixth for Troon was the Under 40 Mixed. Troon were in heat 1 and in lane 7. Looking around it was clear that many clubs have been successful in building and developing youth teams and this was an area we know we need to do more in.
Mike R was Cox and Julie was in Stroke. Roddy (Euan’s younger brother) was in 3, Euan in 2 and Lizzie in Bow.
The guys left everything in the boat and did their very best. Despite this they finished eighth in their heat and didn’t make the final. Dundrum went on to win the final of this category.
Next up was the 40+ Mixed category. Troon were in heat 2 in lane 3.
Mike R was Cox with Harriet in Stroke. Lorna took 3, Steve took 2 and Jacqui was in Bow. Again, this was another race that we had a wee bit of an age challenge but the guys still rowed their hearts out, had fun (eh no) and experienced a race in the Skiffie World Championships! Unfortunately they did not make the final and Golspie went on to win the final.
Thursday the 10th July and two categories for TCRC today. First up was the 50+ Men. TCRC would be in heat 3 and racing in lane 9. Christine C was in Cox and Kevin was in Stroke. Adrian was in seat 3, Mike K in 2 and Mike D in Bow.
Heat 3 was certainly the battle of the Titans. The pace was intense. The competition was incredible. Troon held their own and were in the pack throughout the race. To put this into perspective the winners of the heat Woudrichem, recorded the fastest time of all races throughout the championships. Dundrum who were second in the heat recorded the 5th fastest time in the whole competition so this was a FAST race. Troon finished a respectable fifth in the heat and qualified for the final. What an incredible achievement!
It would be a long nervous wait until the 4pm final but the guys were up for this challenge and took it in their stride. The final was another tense affair with fifteen boats lined up on the start line. They were off and Troon fought hard throughout the race. Less than twelve minutes later and the winners were across the finish line. WSV Woudrichem were victorious with Eastern quickly behind them and Dundrum taking third place. Troon finished in a respectable 11th place in the world!
The second race of Thursday and ninth of the competition was the 50+ Women. Troon were drawn in heat 3 and lane 5.
Mike R was in the Cox hot seat again. Christine R was in Stroke, Christine C in 3, Adrienne in 2 and Kathleen in Bow.
The competition was again fierce and the Troon ladies fought hard. Broughty Ferry raced across the finishing line and won the heat. Seventy two boats raced in this category and unfortunately Toon weren’t fast enough to make the final.
Thursday evening saw a well deserved team night out at The Waterfront Hotel in Portpatrick. Obviously there wasn’t any discussion about rowing and no alcohol was consumed. Honest!
Friday the 11th was the penultimate day of the competition and Troon had two categories to race in today. First on the agenda was the 60+Mixed and then the Open Mixed. The weather was very warm and the competition today would be even hotter.
The 60+ Mixed crew were drawn in heat 2 and in lane 3. Christine C was Cox with Kevin in Stroke, Christine R in 3, Adrienne in 2 and Mike D in Bow.
The guys lined up on the starting line and were off like a rocket. It’s rumoured you could hear the screams from Skiffie Hill in South Beach Troon but these are unsubstantiated. What is true is these guys raced across the finish line in first place! This was a highlight for Kevin, Christine R and Mike D all selected this as their highlight of the week. Yet another anxious wait for the final later in the day. Both Kevin and Adrienne retreated into their happy place with trusted earphones safely inserted and relaxation achieved prior to getting into the zone.
Jumping forward to the final and the boats were on the starting line. This was certainly a heat of champions. There were off and the pack raced towards the turn. The Troon crew fought all the way and the TCRC fan club urged them on. The pace was impressive and our crew crossed the line in 6th place. That’s TCRC 60+ Mixed crew now 6th place in The World Championships! What an achievement!
The second category for Friday was the Open Mixed race. Troon were drawn in heat 5 in lane 2. Mike R was in the Cox seat with Julie in Stroke. Mike K took seat 3, Neil in 2 and Lizzie in Bow.
All the “Open” categories were always going to be tough and this race was certainly no exception. The pace was incredible, the guys rowed for their lives and managed a respectable seventh place with Port Seton winning their heat. Another great effort by Troon but not quick enough for the final. Golspie, Eastern and Dundrum go on to take first, second and third place in the final. The end of another incredible day at The Skiffie World Championships.
Saturday the 16th July was a glorious day with the sun shining and not a cloud in the sky. Wait, only a few days ago the dry robes were on and races were cancelled. Welcome to Scotland folks.
Two categories for TCRC today and they were The Open Women and Open Men. Tough categories against tough competition and it was roasting on that beach.
First race for Troon was the Open Men in heat 4 and lane 2. Kevin in Cox, Adrian was in Stroke, Mike K in 3, Euan in 2 and Paul sat in Bow.
Skiffie Hill was packed for this race. A sea of purple stood anxiously waiting for the start. And they were off. The noise was incredible. The race was fast. Troon were well in the pack and holding a great position throughout the race. Twelve minutes and fifty seconds later, TCRC crossed the finish line in fourth place. What a result for the guys! We waited on the shore for them to return. The cheering continued. As we stood watching, you could tell they have used every bit of energy in their bodies for that race. They left everything on the water. What more could we ask from our crew. A nervous wait for the overall results and disappointment followed where the guys unfortunately didn’t make the final. Woudrichem went on to win the final posting the 10th fastest time of the whole competition! That’s how fast this category was. Great result for TCRC.
Our last category for the competition was the Open Women.
Christine C led the ladies in Cox with Lorna in Stroke. Lizze sat in 3, Julie in 2 and Kathleen sat in Bow. The guys were in heat 2 and in lane 10.
It was back to the hill, lucky bracelets on, fingers crossed and praying to the rowing gods for our brilliant “girls in the boat”. Even in the boat the atmosphere was electric. Apparently that was because of the “Electric Lytes” they had taken with them. (that’s a story that will remain in the boat). They were off and, like the last race, the pace was fast, the noise deafening and the tension high. We all stared at the big screen trying to work out what was happening and looking for the flash of purple from the boat. It was tense until the guys crossed the line fighting with Golspie and St. Andrews all the way and took a marvellous 5th place in their heat. Like the last crew, the ladies pulled up to the shore with not an ounce left in the tank. We yelled, we cheered and we hugged. We were proud of them. Yet another tense wait for the announcement of the finals but unfortunately this was to be the last race of the championship for TCRC.
When asked about “highlight of the week”, there were dozens of responses related to the support of family, friends and TCRC club members who came all that way to cheer for the club. There are too many to mention and we would undoubtedly miss some. A close second to that was definitely food and beverage orientated. From Beth’s food, Rodney’s gin and tonic, Paul’s sea food platter, Louise’s official TCRC adopted flapjacks to the wide support the club received, we thank you all. We loved the fact that people who couldn’t make it watched anxiously online waiting for news, looking for surreptitious boat photos (yes you Phil) and generally wanted to support from afar. The week was a great reminder of what we all want from TCRC and the hard work that we all put into it.
We learned a lot too. Everyone prepared for the competition well in advance, including the winter CrossFit training club sessions. Most people reflected on this and felt they may have benefited from continuing this longer into the season. They felt that more on water training is probably needed but recognised the difficulties in scheduling this. Much discussion and huge amounts of work was done to get the right equipment and kit
Neil has been championing the use of data and done extensive work on every race performance, considered our areas of strength and where we could improve. There is a wealth of data available and he is happy to share it with you.
We asked people to tell us one word that described the experience. Here are the words we can publish – Euphoric, Electric, Teamworkmakesthedreamwork, Unforgettable, Amazing, Brilliant, Fantastic, Exhausting, Awesome. We think that gives you an idea of how they feel.
Dundrum Coastal Rowing club were crowned winners of the 2025 World Championship for the St Ayles class of coastal rowing boat. Troon Coastal Rowing Club came a very respectable 30th in the world and reached four finals.
Overall everyone loved SkiffieWorlds 2025. Everyone wearing purple can hold their heads high at the performance of the club.