This article appeared in Kinghorn Chronicle Issue 39 – December 2024
by Tina West
A Cox, 6 Rowers and the River Clyde
Sandpoint Marina, on the eyebrow of Dumbarton Castle is a thriving hub of activity at 9am on Saturday 7th Sept. If you were passenger on a passing flight overhead and happened to look down at this point in time and place, you might find your own eyebrow raised at what might resemble batallions of brightly coloured ants marching up and down the slipway carrying colourful wee boats onto the river Leven. But these are not ants ! no indeed, these are Coastal Rowers from all over Scotland preparing for Scotland’s biggest open water rowing race from Dumbarton Castle to the iconic Finniston Crane. Also, if you look very carefully in amongst them, you might notice the blue, yellow and white hue of Kinghorn’s Coastal Rowing Team with their Shetland Yoal, Reevik.
Yep, there we were, making ready for this rather splendid 13-mile watery hike through Clydebank ship-building history, part of the Clydebuilt Festival an annual event celebrating Glasgow Clyde Maritime present and past.
Castle2Crane row is a joyous (but challenging) race, where this year 41 fixed seat rowing boats gathered at Dumbarton Quay on a gleaming Saturday morning. The castle itself, an interesting ancient walled monument, smiles it’s majesty down on you, licking its rivery lips to reveal strange tooth-like shipwrecks capped in mossy green seaweed securely entrenched in the gummy riverbed.
Then before you could say ‘shiver-me-timbers sculling, sweep or ready to row’ we were off! Phil Godding our confident, experienced hawk-eyed cox pushing his rowers ; Ken Hunter, James Wheare, Judith Frame, myself Tina West, Mhairi Gibbs and newbe rower Nigel Minhinick to their level best, and what a row it was! Past docklands, navy ships, iconic bridges under the Erskine Bridge and through Clydebank’s newest road bridge at Renfrew, still in construction, its white pylons sticking up in in the air like two great Victory V signs signalling hope for something significant to come.
Upping the game Cox Phil G began pushing us at 100% full-on rowing intervals, and, on occasion we began passing other boats on the Clyde. This is a rare occurrence for team Kinghorn so rowing with the wind, regaling repartee, spirits soaring our oars timeously caught and drove through the water, lending the boat, lovely synchronicity and speed.
We even managed to fend off (for the first 7 miles only) the Basque Boat: Pilgrim Pedrena who had come all the way from Santander to compete – a larger boat of 12 rowers sporting blue and white striped shirts and jolly red neck scarves with their proud pea-cox standing tall steering the boat with his tail-like oar.
It was a wonderfully fun race, and a very respectable 2 hours 39 minutes later, there we were approaching Bells Bridge, crossing the finish line, hallelujah-ed by warm weggies , sunshine and song. We slowly doubled back down river towards the Squinty Bridge desembarking in Kelvin Harbour, to the sound of festival music and River museum merriment.
There is a democracy and team spirit within the rowing community. Everyone helps each other out in the preparation and culmination of each row. It can be a lot of work – the logistics, row planning and execution, event preparations, travelling and labouring over the mechanics of getting the boat there and back safe and sound. We have unsung heroes too working tirelessly behind the scenes, designing, repairing, fixing, transporting. But the sense of freedom and wellness when you are out there on the water is what makes this activity sing. I love it and thank the stars (and our unsung heroes) I am part of this special community.