Black Rocks Rowing Club has proudly joined the Virtual RowAround Scotland – a COVID-era landbased relay in which a virtual baton is working its way around the coast of Scotland to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of Scottish Coastal Rowing.
We took over the baton from Kinghorn CRC at Burntisland Sailing Club and transported it to Dalgety Bay, a sea journey of around 5 miles. Joel Mason, club chair, RowAround Scotland Poet-in-Residence and man of many other talents, took the baton aboard the Burntisland Flyer, a vintage Indian electric bike, just one of his many inventions, for its first night in the town
Next day, the leg to Dalgety Bay, set off with another invention, the Rolling Rowing Machine, powered by Joel and coxed by Chris.
It was a great start, even if the first corner was a little challenging. However Brian, Chris and Chris M then took to the Fife Coastal Path on foot, escorted on four feet by Islay.
Last week’s storm had partly washed away the Starleyburn Bridge but hasty repairs by Fife Coast & Countryside Trust had reopened the path. At Aberdour, Elisa joined us and then en route to Dalgety Bay, David from the fledgling Aberdour skiff project joined in together with another four feet.
Aberdour have a small steering group of about seven members doing the spade work of creating a club.
Finlay, and 13 month old Lily, also joined in for the last leg to the Donibristle House Quay at Dalgety Bay, where a warm greeting was waiting from North Queensferry CRC.
Here we concluded with a double handover, from Black Rocks to Aberdour and then Aberdour to North Queensferry.
All very virtual, but little did we now that at that very moment a virtual SCRA committee was putting the finishing touches to an announcement that is to get us all back on the water.
Handover from Black Rocks to Aberdour
Handover from Aberdour to North Queensferry
Next year we’ll be back again for RowAround Scotland for Real in a Black Rocks Skiff – fingers crossed.
Report written by Chris Mitchell
“The Virtual RowAround Scotland (VRAS) began on 25th March 2020 and will continue in real time around the coast until such time as restrictions are eased and we can all leap into our skiffs and complete the cyber circumnavigation for real”
