Building community – by building boats
The most recent award to the Strathpeffer and District Community Rowing Club has helped to increase participation in the sport.
Strathpeffer and District Community Rowing Club (SDCRC) formed in 2017 and provides opportunities for people to participate in boat building and coastal rowing, for leisure and in competition. The Club operates from two locations - a steading on the Brahan estate, which is rented for building and maintaining boats, and also at the Storehouse of Foulis on the Inner Moray Firth where the Club rows from and where the storage and welfare facility is based. There are now over 100 members, including 21 youth members. The majority live in the Fund area, with some new recruits also from Contin and Marybank. There are regular boat-building sessions, taster sessions and training sessions organised throughout the year, depending on the weather, and the Club takes part in a range of events and regattas.
Since 2017, SDCRC has received around £18,000 in awards from the fund, which has contributed to the costs of building three boats, a storage facility, and a youth development project. The most recent award in 2025 was to contribute to the cost of building a Wemyss Skiff, which is a two-person rowing boat with a cox, to create opportunities for volunteer boat building and to expand the club's small fleet of boats to further increase participation in coastal rowing.
The project has two distinct sets of beneficiaries – the boat builders and ultimately the rowers. The Wemyss skiff is lighter and more manageable than the club’s other boats, which will make it easier for members who have mobility issues to get involved. In general, it will increase the capacity of the club to provide rowing experiences for more members of all ages.
The first stage of the project is all about the boat builders. This group of around 20 regular volunteers have been meeting three times a week at Brahan throughout the construction phase, led by a smaller group of more experienced woodworkers who have been passing on their skills. Volunteers state that the benefits include meeting other people, sharing ideas, learning new skills and a sense of common purpose based on continuing the tradition of building wooden boats. This is a craft that is under threat, as most boats are now built with fibreglass or similar materials. Participants also find that the regular sessions help to reduce isolation and loneliness and promote lifelong learning in a friendly and supportive environment.
The project will have a lasting impact for at least 20 years, as old and new members are able to experience coastal rowing in a safe and fun environment, with volunteers providing training and ensuring all health, safety and safeguarding rules are complied with.
Project participants will range from ages 12 to over 80, building on the Club’s reputation for being welcoming and inclusive.
Volunteer Tor Justad said:
“There were 20+ men and women involved at different times in all aspects of the build, including the ordering of the kit and materials, studying the plans, and commencing a challenging build as no one had built this type of skiff before. At the three weekly daytime and evening sessions, groups of 6+ volunteers meet at the barn and get involved in measuring, cutting, epoxying, assembling, and painting, with many skills required.
A regular member was an instructor in crafts in colleges for many years, another was an engineer and others include community / personal development, nurses, and others with a variety of backgrounds - all united in their keenness to learn and actively participate. One regular attender makes tea and coffee for everyone, so is very popular, but he also assists with less-skilled tasks such as sanding.
It's not easy to describe the process involved but the key to its success is the confidence everyone has in the master builder's practice of taking everyone's views into account - whether experienced or not. Without that leadership and passing on of skills in use of tools and machinery etc. the project could not proceed and of course the whole experience is enhanced by a lot of fun and sharing.
Changes that result include learning new skills, engaging in a collective activity with an end result and meeting others with a similar commitment, leading to reduced isolation and loneliness and improved physical and mental health.” |