Welcome to St Andrews Coastal Rowing Club
Affiliated to the Scottish Coastal Rowing Association, St Andrews Coastal Rowing Club is part of the dynamic and fast growing healthy-leisure and community-building movement in Scotland. Our membership exceeds 50 and is evenly distributed between the sexes and adult age-groups. The Club has built two St Ayles skiffs, Sandbay Century and Blue Bay. A smaller, Wemyss skiff, has just been built, giving greater flexibility and wider rowing experience.
We launch the boats (depending on tide and weather conditions) from the East Sands and the St Andrews Harbour southern slipway, both accessed from Woodburn Terrace. Outings take place on most days of the week from the early spring to the late autumn (and even continue through the winter for the hardiest and most dedicated rowers!).
The Club offers both social and competitive rowing. Our social rowing takes place in the beautiful home waters of St Andrews Bay, with its dramatic views of the royal and ancient burgh’s skyline, the Tay estuary and the Angus coast. We also make more extended expeditions from time to time. In 2016, we rowed the River Tay downstream from Perth to the bridges (in cooperation with the Broughty Ferry and Wormit Clubs), and the Great Glen from Banavie to Caley Marina, Inverness). For competitive rowers there is a full calendar of regattas, which take our crews as far north as Portsoy and Sheildaig and as far south as Gateshead and Annan. Our performances are now consistently in the top quarter, with our rowers regularly winning medals for speed and seamanship.
The Club offers social, fitness and competitive rowing for all abilities. Rowing generally takes place in St Andrews Bay, off the East and West Sands. We also have more extended expeditions from time to time, some, one offs, others annually :
Rows on the River Tay downstream from Perth to the bridges, accompanied by other Clubs.
With other Clubs, a row from Kinghorn to Inchcolm Island where we join the other Clubs for a picnic.
An expedition row of the Caledonian Canal over 3 days, involving many Club members.
For competitive rowers there is a full calendar of regattas, which take our crews as far north as Portsoy and Shieldaig and as far south as Gateshead and Annan. Our crews are now up with the medal contenders.
From its formation, the Club has been fully committed to the community ethos of Scottish Coastal Rowing. We are the only club in Scotland equipped for Adaptive Rowing (with another, Gateshead, south of the border), and we also encourage those with visual impairment (however severe) to row with us.
We have a close working relationship with the St Andrews Harbour Trust, that continues to develop. We are indebted to the Fife Coast and Countryside Trust for our current accommodation and the University for boat storage.
Our policy of accessibility means that we try to maintain subscription fees as low as practicable. Our funding has all come from many local sources, among our more substantial benefactors have been; the St Andrews Community Trust, the Fife Council Local Community Planning Budget, The St Andrews Pilgrim Foundation, The Royal and Ancient Golf Club Town Fund, The St Andrews May Ball, and Mr Michael Buchanan. In addition we have been generously supported by individuals who wish to remain anonymous.
ARE YOU INTERESTED? Contact us for further information and/or a “Taster” row.
