Queensferry Rowing Club

Marianne writes: The Committee and Mike B have reviewed and discussed the current rowing arrangements.  We’ve had slots specifically for ‘limited exposure’ and ‘shielding rowers’, but those crews rarely get out together, if at all, for a variety of reasons.  We’ve decided to change this arrangement, and from this week, all social rowing slots on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays will be open to everyone.  

We hope that this will allow more flexibility and a greater number of rowers to get out.  We should emphasise that if anyone who is in these groups wants to organise a row, we will try and help that to happen.  

Outwith social rowing times, please remember that ANYONE can call a row (including youth rowers!).  Mike B is, as ever, there to help you with your booking.  We’re all very grateful to Mike B for all his hard work in helping us book boats and get out on the water.

We want you to be out as much as possible, particularly while the weather is good (always there’s nothing quite like a frosty winter row!) and the nights are light, so we hope this will help you do just that. We’ll continue to keep arrangements under review to make things as easy for everyone as is possible.

The coming week’s social rowing slots

Mike B writes: The tides in the coming week are mostly favourable to us, with the exception of next Sunday afternoon, when low tide forces a bit of a gap in the rowing.

The slots for the forthcoming week are as follows:

Tuesday 13th July: Slot 1, 18:00 – 20:00, Ferry Maid; Slot 2, 18:45 – 20:45, Ferry Lass
Thursday 15th July: Slot 1, 18:00 – 20:00, Ferry Maid; Slot 2, 18:45 – 20:45, Ferry Lass
Friday 16th July: Slot 1, 18:00-20:00, Ferry Maid; Slot 2, 18:45-20:45
Saturday 17th July: Slot 1 (for early birds), 07:00 – 09:00, Ferry Maid; Slot 2, 09:30 – 11:30, Ferry Lass; Slot 3, 10:15 – 12:15, Ferry Maid
Sunday 18th July: Slot 1, Youth Rowing 09:00 – 12:00, Ferry Maid; Slot 2, 12:15 – 14:15, Ferry Lass; Slot 3, 16:00 – 18:00, Ferry Maid.

Please remember to turn up at the Shed at the start of the slot time, not before, and please be ready to row, as we cannot use the Shed for changing currently.

As ever, please email me directly on mikebreewood@gmail.com to book your place on any of the rowing slots. I will normally confirm your booking and then, closer to the time of the rowing slot itself, I shall confirm with you whether there is a complete crew for the row or not.

Outwith social rowing times, the boats are available for self-selecting crews to book – again, just email me directly on mikebreewood@gmail.com .

Finally, if you want to view the current state of play on any slots or bookings, you can view the calendars for Ferry Maid and Ferry Lass on https://queensferryrowing.org/rowing-schedule/ . The calendars update in real time, so whenever I make a change in any entry it shows at once.

The weather looks good for the week ahead so please do make the most of the rowing slots available!

Other news

Marianne writes: In other news, congratulations to Alan Sutherland, our newest RP!  Having completed the course and buddy rows, Alan can now skipper the skiffs.  Well done Alan!

And well done to the Men’s 60+ for taking part in the Five Miles from Home virtual race, with a time of just over 53 minutes for the row. 

Great to see new members continue to join!  It’s a shame we can’t show you the more social aspects of the club, but hopefully that day is coming.  No one makes a Saturday morning bacon roll quite like Peter!

Mike B writes: The tides have moved back into a period of awkwardness for our social rowing, but we can get a few evening sessions in the coming week:

Tuesday 6th July: 18:00-20:00, General rowers, Ferry Maid; 18:45 – 20:45, Limited Exposure rowers, Ferry Lass
Thursday 8th July: 17:30 – 19:30, Shielding rowers, Ferry Maid
Friday 9th July: 18:00-20:00 General rowers, Ferry Maid
Saturday 10th July:11:00-13:00, Limited Exposure rowers, Ferry Maid; 11:45-13:45, General rowers, Ferry Lass
Sunday 11th July: 11:30 – 13:30,Youth Rowing, Ferry Maid; 13:45 – 15:45, Shielding rowers, Ferry Lass; 16:00-18:00, General rowers, Ferry Lass

As ever, if you wish to take part in any of these rowing slots, please email me directly on mikebreewood@gmail.com.

Club captain Dónal writes: It is with regret that I have to bring you this news, but unfortunately after consultation between the Committee and the Regatta Sub Committee it has been decided to cancel this year’s Regatta on 22 August.

We weighed up the factors that are involved, and due to the ongoing uncertainty surrounding Covid it would not be feasible to have a regatta. Our biggest issue was the numbers of rowers that would attend, along with the crowds that would already be in Port Edgar on the day. We would also not have been able to use the shed as we have done in the past. 

It was also felt that we need to focus on our own Club in the short term and get rowing back to some kind of normality.  Hopefully the easing of restrictions that are due to come towards the end of next month will help us do that.

However, we do intend to have a very small Youth event in the form of a return fixture with North Berwick and Eastern, following last week’s successful event. As the rules pertaining to youth rowers are more flexible, it was felt this would be the best option.  The provisional date is 22 August, and will be a row in company with a route yet to be finalised.

Sadly ours is not the only fixture to be cancelled this summer: We have received word that Shieldaig’s Regatta on  the weekend of August 7th and 8th has been cancelled. The organisers cited the uncertainty around the Pandemic as the reason for cancelling. 

They have pencilled in August 6th and 7th 2022 for next year’s Regatta. 
I know many of you had bookings made for accommodation in Shieldaig, I hope this gives you enough time to cancel if you so wish. 

SCRA calendar

On Sunday 20 June, seven of QRC’s youth rowers Oisin, Aaron, Diarmuid, Susan, Georgina, Will and Archie accepted an invitation from North Berwick to row with them, and Eastern. This is the report from NB’s Claire Simpson, one of the chief organisers, with a few thanks at the end to those in QRC who helped make the trip possible.

Junior Muster June 2021 

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. 

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, North Berwick Rowing Club 

Marianne adds a few QRC thanks 

Thanks for everyone who helped make this day happen.   

Firstly, to North Berwick for their invitation, hospitality and organisation.  It was a wonderfully joyful day where the sun shone, seas were calm and there were plenty of puffins!   Thank you to both North Berwick and Eastern for your friendship.

Thanks to Len and Douglas for sorting out the road trailer and making it possible for us to treat Ferry Maid to a day out!  To Paul McVeigh for towing her safely there.  To Louise, Rachel and Peter for their continued support for youth rowing, and to Louise and Rachel for coxing on the day.  To Dónal for working with me on the organisation.  To the parents who support our young rowers! 

And finally, thank you to our fabulous youth rowers, Diarmuid, Will, Susan, Archie, Georgina, Oisín and Aaron, who proved they are up for anything, and represented our club so positively. 

We are lucky to have you, and we hope you enjoyed your day as much as we all did!    

Now we need to think about the return match…..! 

More photos on Flickr
North Berwick Rowing Club’s photos

Dónal writes: As Mike said, the Tides are against us for our usual timings. 

Last night’s Midsummer Night’s Row failed to happen as the rain was coming down fairly heavily at the time. It wouldn’t have been very enjoyable if we had gone out. 

Monday 21st June 
0559— 1.7 m L.   1217 — 5.3 m H.   1844 – 1.2 m L.   

 Tuesday 22nd June
0659 — 1.4m L  1317 — 5.5 m H    1942 — 1.0 m L.

 Wednesday 23rd June
0803 — 1.2m L   1415 — 5.7 m H.   2039 — 0.9 m L.  

 Thursday 24th June
0905 — 0.9 m L    1513 —  5.8 m H.  2131 — 0.8 m L

 Friday 25th June 
1000 — 0.7 m L.   1608 — 5.9 m H.  2217  — 0.8 m L. 

 Saturday 26th June
1050 — 0.6 m L.   1700 — 5.9 m H.   2259 — 0.9 m L.     

 Sunday 27th June
1137 – 0.6 m L.   1751 — 5.8 m H.   2339 — 1.1 m L

More photos of the muster on QRC’s Flickr
And many more on North Berwick Rowing Club’s Flickr