ABOUT | portsoy-skiffettes

ABOUT THE PORTSOY SKIFFETTES

The Portsoy Skiffettes are a group of women aged from early 20s to the happily retired! They come together weekly, as and when their other commitments allow, to train together and row their St Ayles Skiff. Not only do they row, they first had to build her!

Boat building girls you ask"....YES INDEED!!

The boat was launched in March 2013, painted a vibrant bright pink and named 'Soy Quine', apt and making use of the local Doric dialect which translates to Portsoy Girls.

The Portsoy Skiffettes became the first all girls traditional boat building team in the UK. However, we were preceded by the Rosie Crew in Portland, Oregon; and Women on Water from Frakland, Tasmania.....go girls of the world!!

OUR PHILOSOPHY

The advancement of womens participation in coastal rowing
The advancemewnt of heritage and culture
The advancement of education in partnership with PORT
The advancement of community development
The advancement of equality and diversity

OUR HISTORY

" Building the skills and capacity of women living in a coastal community in the North East of Scotland"

WHAT WE ARE ABOUT

The group supports women from 18+ to come together in pursuit of a shared interest in traditional boat building and coastal rowing. To enable anyone with an interest to participate all members can participate as little or much as is possible within their family, work and social lives outwith the group. To ensure no one is excluded on the basis of costs, all training and equipment is provided by and owned by the Portsoy Skiffettes.

PARTICIPATION

MEMBERSHIP

To ensure the annual costs of insurance is covered each member is asked to contribute an annual membership fee.

In 2011, the amazing St Ayles Skiff Team appeared at the 2011 Scottish Traditional Boat Festival in Portsoy, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. A group of Portsoy girls keen on keeping fit were so inspired they decided to build their own Skiff. Luckily for us, Portsoy Organisation for Restoration and Training (PORT) had already purchased a kit so we were able to get started almost straight away.

From the early 19th Century, all around our coast, regular rowing competitions between local teams on took place. The St Ayles Skiff, based on the small Fair Isle fishing boats used for fishing in the water of Shetland and Orkney is ideally suited for racing. The modern version was designed by Iain Oughtred, an expert is historic boats. Alex Jourdan, a boating enthusiast supplied basic kits of planks and formers. These t Ayles Skiff kits are now created in a small workshop in East Wemyss, near Kirkcaldy in Fife, Scotland.

HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

OUR ROOTS

The Portsoy Skiffettes now has approximately 15 members and we continue to grow, so much so that we are seeking funding to build a second St Ayles Skiff for the ladies teams so we can train together and compete ain Scottish Regattas, the World Skiff Championships to be held in Ullapool in 2013 and also at the annual Scottish Traditional Boat Festival in Portsoy. The group are lending a hand to local men who are now enthusastic to build their own St Ayles Skiff and join in the fun (not that they are at all competative!).

THE FUTURE