On 6 & 7 June local rowers from the Stour Sailing Club will be joined by boats and crews from many visiting clubs, continuing a long tradition of competitive rowing on the Stour Estuary. There was a Manningtree and Mistley Rowing Club at least as far back as the 1870’s and rowing regattas were held long before the now more familiar sailing regatta. The event is being organised by Rear Commodore Robert Leeds with support of volunteers including both rowers and sailors from the club.
Since 2008 Manningtree has been home to three Claydon Skiffs: Witchoar, Myrto and Lt Washington. The Skiffs are based on traditional Thames working boats. Made of GRP they are twenty four foot long and their build weight when new was three hundred and eighty kilos. The Claydon Skiffs can brave almost any conditions although they are heavy to row and not built for speed. Around 17 Skiffs were built in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s and were part of popular phase of competitive fixed seat rowing where the Tug Boat companies of Gravesend and Felixstowe raced against each other, later joined by other crews. Locally, five Claydon Skiffs were commissioned by the Alexandra and Felix Arc Companies at Felixstowe and the boatmen and shore staff of Harwich Haven Authority and were launched in May 1991. In the early 1990’s the Claydon Skiffs were raced on the Deben and Orwell as well as off the shore at Clacton, Walton, Felixstowe and Harwich, with a Two Rivers Race from Ipswich to Mistley. As well as our local boats we hope that a number of other Claydon Skiffs and crews from Gravesend, Walton, Holbrook and further afield will join us at the event. The Claydon Skiff crews all enjoy competing against each other when we get the chance and there is a healthy rivalry between us. In particular Witchoar and her crew regularly travel to other events, including the Great River Race, Round Canvey Island, Round Osea, Brightlingsea and Leigh on Sea Events, and most Brightlingsea to Colchester and we are always pleased to have a fellow Claydon Skiff crew to test our metal.
More recently there has been a real resurgence of traditional fixed seat rowing centred around the new “Harker’s Yard Gigs” which are traditional East Coast boats built by marine apprentices at the Pioneer Sailing Trust’s Harker’s Yard in Brightlingsea, ensuring that traditional wooden boat building skills are kept alive. The Harker’s Yard boats are cold moulded, and finished in bright racing colours. Compared with the Claydon Skiffs they are lighter, longer, sleeker and faster. In rough weather a Claydon Skiff with a good crew can give them a run for their money, but in still water the Gigs are much faster. The first Harker’s Yard Gig “Velocity” was launched in March 2012 for the newly formed Brightlingsea Coastal Rowing Club. Since then new clubs have been established in Brightlingsea, Wivenhoe, Rowhedge, Maldon and Mersea among others. Harker’s Yard are currently building Gigs numbered 14 and 15. The first two Gigs; Velocity (Brightlingsea) and Vanduara (Wivenhoe) first came to Manningtree to race in 2012. The Harker’s Yard Gigs now have their own summer and winter series of races and Sunday’s race in the Rowing Festival will form part of the series, so we are hoping for a good turnout of Gigs. Watch out also for “Matchless”, the Gig retained by Harker’s Yard and rowed by the apprentices who build the boats. Watch out also for some familiar SSC members who are now also engaged in local Gig Racing
Along with the Claydon Skiffs and the Harker’s Yard Gigs we are expecting a number of different classes of boats. Although the event is focussed on traditional fixed seat rowing boats there will be a number of light, fast, sliding seat coastal rowing boats taking part. The participating boats will be very different in terms of weight, size and speed. There will be class prizes for the fastest in each category – but we will also operate the Great River Race Handicap for the fixed seat boats so that we can compete on an (almost!) level playing field. As with sailing therefore, the fastest boat over the course will not necessarily be the winner!
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