Lonely hearts for rowers!

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Sue Fenton
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Joined: Sat Feb 18, 2012 3:04 pm

Lonely hearts for rowers!

Post by Sue Fenton »

The Seil skiff is going to the inaugural World Championships in Ullapool next week. Crews are firming up, BUT
we are urgently in need of the following:

Thursday 11th
One woman, any age, for the open Mixed A/B team


Friday 12th
One woman, over 40

Saturday 13th
One woman and one man, over 60

Practice can be arranged! Otherwise, we'll just have to pressgang people off the streets of Ullapool (or chat up people at the ceilidh) ... Come on, you know you want to! :wink:
Sue Fenton
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Re: Lonely hearts for rowers!

Post by Sue Fenton »

Bingo! Scored a bus-pass holder (male) for Saturday. Better still, he has even rowed before (but not on the skiff - yet).

Just need another woman now for Thursday, Friday (40+) and Saturday (60+) - it could be even be the same one ... Practice/s available this weekend or in Ullapool.
Sue Fenton
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Re: Lonely hearts for rowers!

Post by Sue Fenton »

Update. We managed to cobble together a crew for the World Skiff Championships in Ullapool last week!.

The ‘team’ of Nick, Cathy, Scott, Mairi, Sue, Ewan, Angus and Slioch (the dog) accompanied the long distance race on Tuesday (it should have been men out, women back to Ardmair, three miles each way) but the race was shortened in coastal fog and ‘jabber.’

Wednesday saw Angus, Ewan, Sue and Mary, with Nick as cox, in the over 50s heats (combined age minus the cox of 242). A very hard 2 km race in a big chop out by the turning marks which made us all wonder what we were doing there. However, we got the the finals on Thursday, when we also raced in the Open Mixed B heats and final! We were joined by the Oban Seil Farm crew of Nick, George and Julia (cox) (Bette had broken her fingers) + two press-ganged women, who rowed in the Open Mixed A Heat.

On Friday, the original skeleton crew rowed in the over-40s mixed heat, narrowly avoiding another final; Ray coxed us with Nick escaping to row for the Portsoy Skiffettes (he declined the offer of matching pink nail polish but did wear a pink cap). On Saturday, Sue, Ewan and Nick were joined by Meg from North Berwick (with Wendy from the Skiffettes as cox) in the over 60s final, when we finished sixth.

Coigach (Achiltiebuie, Wester Ross) were the overall winners, with 10% of their total population taking part. Ullapool was a great venue and the whole championships were superbly organised. We have come away inspired – to fine tune both Selkie and ourselves!
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jimcee
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Re: Lonely hearts for rowers!

Post by jimcee »

Pingo,
That report from Ullapool may be glad tidings to the intelligensia who know all the participants and the technical terms used
, but to an outsider whom you might be trying to attract to the delights of your pastime, I think it will leave them with a feeling that it is a cosy little enclave, to which the rites of passage are too fraught to be undertaken. Please do not take offense - this is just a bystander's view from someone who wishes you well, but can see the hurdles before you.
Sue Fenton
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Re: Lonely hearts for rowers!

Post by Sue Fenton »

Jim, it's a community skiff and all I was trying to do was to let folk know how we performed and measured up with other coastal communities, bearing in mind that the Seil skiff hasn't been in the water all that long.

The intention was to enthuse others to row, as we had scraped the barrel for a crew who could spare the week off and had widely advertised the lack of rowers able to go to Ullapool. There were categories for under-17, under-19 etc which we were unable to provide a crew for and it was so good to see the amount of enthusiasm and interest in other clubs and small communities from across the country/world. As I mentioned, the winning club was Achiltibuie with a population of just twice that of Seil. They fielded crews in all categories.

Come for a row sometime! I'd be glad to take you (and promise not to use technical terms). I'll also provide surnames in the report if you wish - I had left them out on purpose (data protection and all that).

Everyone is welcome to come for a row - just book your slot on the Seil Skiff website, where there are also photos and a report.
Foxglove

Re: Lonely hearts for rowers!

Post by Foxglove »

Oh dear...strange how some people see things! Pingo...I for one enjoyed reading your report about the Skiff. It certainly made me wish I could be be involved [there are various reasons why I can't] so keep up the good work. I wish you and the rest of the team the best of luck and hope you can encourage many more people to join in the fun!
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jimcee
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Re: Lonely hearts for rowers!

Post by jimcee »

Pingo,
I have been rowing boats of various sizes for the last 75 years - as soon as I was able to sit upright and hold a couple of oars.
The purpose of this exercise was to get from shore to ship (or vice-versa), to get to a place to fish, or to get to one point on the shoreline to another, for whatever nefarious reason presented itself at that time. If this proved to be a long distance, then an outboard motor was pressed into service to save on time and exhaustion- to sum it up- a means of transport. At no point in that time was I trying to do it faster than anyone else, or interested in Olympic Gold.
Some people are, by nature, competitive, and enjoy pitting their strength/expertise against all and sundry, but this trait was sadly missed out of my genes, and my satisfactions come from elsewhere.
Now, don't get me wrong, I applaud the community enterprise and effort involved to getting the skiff built and crewed.
But it would appear that the principal reason for having the thing, and having it crewed, is to indulge in the sport competitively, and it may be that there are going to be problems in getting bums on seats to wield these oars for this competitive activity.
I wish you well in your endeavours to get support from the local community, but felt that the Ullapool report did little to enthuse the average punter who does not know one end of an oar from the other.
It was a kind offer to give me the chance of a trip in the new boat, but will take a raincheck on that one, as it is over two years since my own dinghy has seen water under it's keel.
Sue Fenton
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Re: Lonely hearts for rowers!

Post by Sue Fenton »

Competition is but part of the mix! But it was very interesting to see how other folk had adapted their 'one design' skiffs when in Ullapool.

For the same reason as I gave up racing dinghies years ago, and took up cruising, I am looking forward to rowing Selkie on trips to Jura at the end of the month and to various islands for picnics ... horses for courses! The skiff is ideally suited for stowing camping stuff, dogs etc and eminently seaworthy.

PS the word 'jabber' is a northwest term used to describe a 'lumpy' sea, where tide and wind oppose
MacUlric
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Re: Lonely hearts for rowers!

Post by MacUlric »

I'm desperately sorry that JimCee is so negative about the skiffs. When I got involved in building the Selkie I didn't know any of the other people involved but I found everyone very welcoming and inclusive and certainly not an intelligensia (sic) or an enclave. It is a community project of the very best sort with something for everyone and only a minority of the skiffies taking part in seriously competitive racing. There are very few technical terms involved, unless "ready to row" and "go" are too difficult.

The Ullapool event was of course competitive and those of us who went from Seil probably got carried along with the general enthusiasm, but it was also a great and very inexpensive holiday. To get an idea of what it was like, have a look at the latest video posted on http://www.scottishcoastalrowing.org and try to say that it wasn't exciting.

It was a pity that so few of us managed to be there, but understandable when the skiff was only launched two months ago. For me one of the best things was seeing the enthusiasm of the young Coigach and Ullapool kids, who start rowing when about twelve and are all really keen and fit. Rowing is one of the best forms of exercise and much more fun when done on the water in open air and free, compared with going to a gym.

Please don't be put off by JimCee's opinions of us, apparently formed without giving us a go. You can book a row on http://www.seilskiff.org.uk.
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NickB
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Re: Lonely hearts for rowers!

Post by NickB »

jimcee wrote: . . . it may be that there are going to be problems in getting bums on seats to wield these oars for this competitive activity.
It isn't elsewhere. Coigheach is the wee peninsula the tiny community of Achiltibuie clings to. When Coigheach Community Rowing took to the stage at the Worlds presentations to accept the overall trophy over ten percent of their community was on stage.

With Kilmelford launching we will have another local boat to row against. Joining the club costs something between nothing and ten quid (to be decided but probably ten quid) which gives a year's use of the skiff and associated equipment, plus help with travelling to attend events. It is a fantastic opportunity for our young people to get involved in a community venture that offers team spirit, exercise and fun.

You don't have to be involved with us original 'olduns' much . . . come along and learn to cox and you can take the boat out on your own. We will be offering cox training sessions (practical) plus as much theory (collision regulations, tides etc) as you need to know to cox Selkie safely. Of course, if you have already been around boats then all you will need is the practical training.

So - why not get a team together you wold like to row with, get a cox organised and book a regular training session?

We are also planning to put some permanent marks out so teams can time themselves round a fixed course.

Contact me or your preferred skiffie / committee member or just put your name down on the website and turn up for a row. Try it, you might like it!
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NickB
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Re: Lonely hearts for rowers!

Post by NickB »

.
A few pix from the Worlds:

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NickB
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