From the Web

Ben Crawshaw at The Invisible Workshop has a couple of fabulous pics of the amazing Basque trainera, developed for anchovy fishing but now raced. There are 12 oars and steering oars in the stern and, unusually, in the bow as well. The bow man rows when not steering.

Fire Captain Neil Calore is rowing from Washington DC to New York in the Voyage for Autism Awareness, using the Intra Coastal Waterway, rivers and canals and stopping at waterside Fire Service facilities. He is approaching Philadelphia - three cheers, Neil!

I have been meaning to post this picture for some time. Drosso in Tasmania built this lovely strip plank coastal sculling boat in huon pine.
And finally, a Salute to the Royal Couple courtesy of expat Scot Grum of Port-na-Storm:

Loch Broom has a third St Ayles Skiff

The launch of Loki, the St Ayles Skiff built by members of the Loch Broom Sailing Club, means Ulla and Coigach Lass now have some local competition, which they clearly relish.
Loki is immediately recognisable by the dramatic and rather lovely bird  figurehead, although it is unclear what it has to do with Loki, the Norse shape-shifting god who is recorded as assuming the appearance of a fly, a salmon, a seal and a mare - versatile, but not birds.
Thanks to Chris Perkins for the pictures.

Wednesday

Skived off this afternoon, went for a picnic with Langstone Cutters at the landing place on Long Island, part of the bird reserve. Weather was perfect. More pics here.

St Ayles Skiffs go on Forth and multiply

St Ayles Skiffs seem to be arriving on the water in droves. Last weekend another two were launched, Queensferry's Ferry Lass and Portobello's Jenny Skylark (right, being carefully manhandled out of the workshop).
The prototype skiff Chris O'Kanaird was returned to the water with the storm damage repaired.
There is a nice video of the Portobello launch on STV.

The sun hat dilemma

Cloudless skies and light refreshing breezes made rowing memorably wonderful over the weekend. But I need a new sun hat.
I used to have an excellent sun helmet that I bought in Brookstones in Atlanta, Georgia. It was a sort of solar topee made of a light plastic mesh that kept the sun off while allowing the air to circulate and cool the bonce. It was the best sun hat I have ever had, but unfortunately it was lost over the side while sailing last year and I have been unable to locate anything similar since.
Big floppy sun hats with a wide brim fly off into the water in any wind, and baseball caps are for dorks, as can be easily seen in this ghastly picture.
The most stylish headgear for the rower is a traditional English cap with a narrow peak (above) but they are made of wool and are far too hot.
What I want is a baseball cap styled to look like a proper rowing cap. Where can I get such an article?

Deranged?

Rowed to Emsworth this morning for a sustaining and nutritious fried breakfast. So far, so sane.
Then coxed Reivers12 in their new pilot gig. The other Reivers12 crew, in the Clayton skiff Gladys,  went aground on the mud. Their cox had to get out and push them off as we came up, chortling. I got a nice pic.
Later, outside the harbour mouth, I steered the gig onto a sandbank and had to get out and push them off. Luckily, because I was the one with the camera, no record was made of this event. It never happened.

Rowing tomorrow (and Sunday)

Tomorrow I go rowing with Langstone Cutters at practically dawn, to Emsworth for breakfast. And in the afternoon I am going with Reivers12 for a training session and I'm not even doing the event. And it's Club Rowing on Sunday, of course.
I think I may be deranged.....