BSC at Skiffie Worlds 2025

Published 13:11 on 16 Jul 2025

Skiffie Worlds 2025 in Stranraer started with gale force winds and ended with a blistering heat wave, the like of which is seldom seen in the west of Scotland! With 78 boats and over 2000 rowers of ages spanning 8 decades from across 4 continents, this was the largest gathering of st Ayles coastal rowing boats in history, and Valiant was there flying the flag for BSC.

Before racing began all the boats had to pass scrutineering. This resulted in a quick dash to the local hardware store for some heavier chain to make our anchor weigh the required 7kg and the addition of a black line to our rudder. Apparently Valiant's planks are "too rounded" as well but there wasn't a lot we could do about that. We were also told our cox's seat was too high. Must be our lovely new cushions!

The first day's racing was postponed because of the wind. Before our first race we had already suffered a broken oar (luckily we had brought a couple of spares) and one of the tyres on the launching trolley exploded so another trip to the shops was needed.

Conditions were challenging for our first couple of races with choppy seas. All the races were 2k with a tight buoy turn at the 1k mark so it was fast and furious. As the week progressed the weather improved and so did our turns. We learned a lot from watching how other more experienced clubs managed the turns.

Racing was fiercely competitive, however off the water the camaraderie was second to none. The Bosham crew were able to give the Scots a run for their money in the ceilidh, thanks to all that winter training with the Mayhews! New friends were made and invitations were received to visit clubs in Northern Ireland to row with them.

No medals for Bosham this time but we came back brimming with ideas for how to modify the boat to make it go faster.

Debbie Bell

RC Rowing

Last updated 18:48 on 16 July 2025