Video: Coastal rowing at Portobello

On Sunday, the latest St Ayles Skiff will be named and launched from Portobello beach. It's been built by "RowPorty", part of the Portobello Sailing and Kayaking Club, and is an addition to their existing boat, Ice Breaker, which has been in the water for almost a year.

The club has also inherited four other rowing boats – two "jolly boats" and two racing sculls – all of which need renovation, though the former are both seaworthy. As in other parts of Scotland, quite large rowing boats like this used to be a common sight at Portobello, otherwise known as Edinburgh's Seaside. But the sailing and rowing clubs closed many years ago. Around two years ago, the Scottish Fisheries Museum at Anstruther across in Fife launched the Scottish Coastal Rowing Project to revive this, and commissioned a design known as the St Ayles Skiff for communities around the coast to build.  To make it as easy as possible, Jordan Boats in East Wemyss produced a kit where some of the wooden parts come pre-formed. People in the recently re-formed Portobello club jumped at the idea – as did others in places as varied as Achiltibuie, Portsoy and Eyemouth.  The idea wasn't just to get people rowing again, but to help bring communities together when building their skiffs and then to organise races and regattas around the country – the first this year will be held in Dunbar next month. There are now around 30 boats built and in the water around Scotland (and further afield), plus another 20 under construction. To find out more, I met some of the people who created RowPorty and who are putting the finishing touches to their new skiff.

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