Val writes: We had a glorious couple of days in Ullapool, memories of the torrential weather and lightning of the previous year fondly recounted and reminisced over by scores of skiffies from the Queensferries and beyond as the weather this year just got better and better during the weekend set up on the shelving shingle beach of Costa De Lapooll.
No medals but great company, fantastic variable conditions on the water throughout the weekend with just enough chop and swell at the Lomo buoys to really give the crew and coxes something to think about. Both Richard (thank you so much for towing and all the kit organising!) and I undertook our first ever race coxing.
It’s a super set up at Ullapool, SEVENTEEN lanes!! As I set off in the Maid with my steady crew, I popped past the hand buoy that the coxes pick up to achieve one of the most organised race start lines anywhere I have ever seen. I confidently tapped it, felt how I would grab it again and released so we could practice a start and a turn before lining up again.
Well, it took me three attempts to pick it up for real after several inelegant million point turns onto it. But, not daunted, with cheerful crew that was it, we were lined up. Just a little bit of medieval torture maintaining the hold on the buoy with out dislocating my right shoulder, left hand on rudder and the radio crackled into life
… Attention..
All skiffs!…
Row!.. Or maybe Go! (I’m not sure!!)
But we were off! A great start, a strong crew, an inexperienced race Cox and a flipping long sprint. Chop at the run into the Lomos … “Watch the oars, catch the water” and I found the first of Rachel’s phrases emitting from my mouth to encourage the crew… “This is Scottish Coastal Rowing, We LOVE IT!”
The crew were giving their all but I saw four little smiles crinkled in response to that. St Andrews crossed our bow on their way back down the course as we approached for the turn, serendipitously gaining at least two boat lengths on a competitor many lanes away. We raced back into the more gentle water in a gaggle of four skiffs, our own race unfolding in a wave just a minute behind the eventual winners. We came a brave second out of that four. Another of Rachel’s techniques unfolded as we gave Ten for Allan, Ten for Sarah, Ten for Lesley and Ten for Richard as we attempted to just nudge past that leading Skiff!! There’s always something to play for at a regatta!
Rachel enjoyed what she’s said will be her last race, and what a venue, regatta and weekend of weather for that to have happened.
We really enjoyed having our friends from North Queensferry with us, and thoughts definitely started to drift towards “The Worlds” next summer. Óndrej and Filip held up the side for the youths and as well as rowing with Queensferry were poached by a couple of other clubs giving them exciting afternoons on Saturday!
Ullapool, as ever is a fantastic venue, It was my first ever regatta that I attended a few years ago, my first ever race, and now my first ever race coxing and so will always be special.
There’s accommodation suiting all budgets and ranging from canvas, to campervan, youth hostel to plush hotel. From fish and chips to curry, langoustine, lobster, or wood-fired Pizza and with a decent Tesco at the back of the village for self caterers, it really does have everything. We were treated again to a Saturday night Ceilidh in the Ferry Terminal, there’s something just so magical about that and a good crowd of us rounded off Saturday evening with a wee burl to Auld Lang Syne… (Or so we thought…., until we reunited on the beach slightly later to reinstate the gazebo after it had been caught by the wind and become, shall we say, rather friendly with RowPorty’s skiff!…. ) No skiffs or gazebos were hurt in the process!
The nice thing about Ullapool is it really is so special. If the usual pattern unfolds, it will be a local Highland regatta next year in their preparation for the Worlds, so mark up your July 2026 calendar!
I haven’t really given the breakdown of the results, but actually, it really is the taking part that counts.
Fantastic weekend.
