The newly built Weymss Skiff, sponsored by Arch Henderson, was launched on the 1st May. A crowd of 40 people came along to Catterline Pier to celebrate the new boat, the Little Bustard, and to try her out on the water.
The successful launch of the Little Bustard was the culmination of 1,000 hours of hard work by volunteers who spent many an evening and weekend at the boatshed building, varnishing and painting the skiff. The skiff was designed by Ian Oughtred, and the self-build kit was provided by Jordan Boats. The Catterline Coastal Rowing Club, Arch Henderson LLP and the Kincardineshire Development Programme funded the project, which will enable more people to try out the increasingly popular sport of coastal rowing.
The 16ft Weymss skiff is designed for one or two rowers, with or without a cox. It only weighs 50kg so it can be easily lifted in and out of the water by two people. On the water she is very responsive and quick to pick up speed. Skiff racing is a popular sport around Scotland and the Little Bustard, along with her big sister skiff, the Spirit of Catterline, will doubtless be competing in regattas this summer.
The naming ceremony was carried out by Felienne and Lisette Verver, who poured a dram of Fettercairn malt whisky over the skiff. For her maiden voyage, the first crew was Paul and Anna Conniff. Finlay Young then took out several more crews for their test rows. Meanwhile on shore, celebratory cupcakes and drams of whisky were consumed.
The photo gallery shows the later stages of construction and the launch. The final build sessions included internal fitting out of the boat, including the bouyancy tanks, seats, gunwales and footrests; followed by planing, scraping and sanding, internal oiling and external painting, and the construction of the scooped oars.
