Skiffie Worlds 2022

County rowers head to the world championships

Ateam of County rowers from the Ayle of Quinte Skiff Club will be heading to Kortgene, The Netherlands, to represent Canada in the 2022 St. Ayles Skiff World Championship. The competition is held every three years, and this year 60 teams from seven countries will be taking part. For some of the County rowers, this will be their third trip to the competition, which was held in Stranraer, Scotland in 2019 and Strangford Lough, Ireland in 2016.This year’s trip to Kortgene was coordinated by George Molyneux, who competed in Scotland in 2019. “We had so much fun, and it felt so good representing the country, and the organizers really enjoyed having the Canadian contingent there. So when the opportunity came up, knowing that we’d be looking at The Netherlands for the next event, but a little concerned about the pandemic, we held off until the middle of last year and then made the decision that we’re going to go for it,” he said. Ten rowers will be taking part in this year’s competition, in the men’s, women’s and mixed races in three categories: Over 50, Over 60 and the “280”. The first two are likely self-explanatory. The “280” derives from the condition that the ages of the four rowers have to add up to 280 or more, a requirement that this club will have no difficulty in meeting.

The Ayle of Quinte Skiff Club has three rowboats and rows at the Waupoos marina. The boats are called St. Ayles skiffs and are based on a design that was used for recreational racing in the Firth region of Scotland up until the 1950s. These boats have four rowers, each with a single oar, plus a coxswain at the helm. Interest in this type of racing was renewed in about 2009, helped by the availability of a boat building kit. Over the winter of 2012, a group of County men decided to build one of these boats as an off-season project, and they started rowing in the summer of 2013. The following year, their spouses and partners also started rowing, and the men built a second boat over the winter of 2014. They began attending rowing regattas in the US and in 2016 the club was given a boat that was built by students at a college in Connecticut. Since then the club has grown, with about 40 members currently. They typically row three or four days a week, but recently it has been almost daily as rowers practice for the upcoming championships. The competition race is two kilometres—one kilometre out and then a 180- degree turn at a buoy before heading back to the finish line.

The rowing club is as much about physical activity as it is about remaining socially connected, and that sense of camaraderie extends to the world championships. A local club in Kortgene is providing two boats for the County skiff club to use and race in. Tony Dean is one of the original boat builders, and did not envision that he would be representing Canada on the international stage. “When we heard about the world championships in Ireland, there was some question whether we would go or not. We got some encouragement from the Irish to put in a team, so six of us went and we had a wonderful time,” he said. Jane Dean is thrilled to be once again representing Canada. “I’m very, very proud to be representing our country in an event like this. There are thirteen or fourteen hundred participants and 60 clubs from seven different countries world-wide. We are a group of seniors staying fit, building community and staying socially active, and absolutely loving it,” she said. George Molyneux said that events like this will help to grow the interest in the sport. “I’d say my number one priority is that we come out of this event feeling that much better about ourselves, as being Canadian, as being seniors who are participating in a very healthy activity and representing the community here in Prince Edward County.” The competition takes place from June 25 until July 2, and the County team will be racing during events from June 27 to June 30. For more information about the world championships, please visit skiffieworlds2022.com. To learn more about the Ayle of Quinte Skiff Club, please visit countycoastalrowing.org.

Mayor Steve Ferguson (centre) stands with members of the Ayle of Quinte Skiff Club who will be travelling to The Netherlands to compete in the world championships. (L-R): Suzanne Wright, James Wright, Peter Campbell, Jane Dean, Mayor Ferguson, George Molyneux, Cheryl Shannon, Tony Dean and Ramesh Pooran. (Absent: Des Bohn and Olivia Butler).