Association delighted with world championship success

STRANRAER Water Sports Association is riding on the crest of a wave following the success of SkiffieWorlds 2025. The world championships of coastal rowing reached a spectacular conclusion on Saturday, the hottest day of the year, under blue skies and on the calm waters of Loch Ryan in South West Scotland. The summer weather brought a celebratory finish to SkiffieWorlds 2025 – the largest gathering of St Ayles coastal rowing boats in history. Northern Ireland's Dundrum Coastal Rowing Club successfully defended their world championship title, with Eastern Amateur Coastal Rowing Club from Edinburgh runners-up, in the premier competition that saw a record-breaking 78 clubs and more than 2000 rowers participate from across four continents. Dundrum’s rowers took gold in eight of the 24 classes, as well as two silvers and five bronze, while Eastern secured two golds, eight silvers and two bronze. The triennial world championship returned to Stranraer following the town's highly successful hosting debut in 2019, with teams travelling from Australia, USA, Canada, South Africa, and the Netherlands, alongside strong representation from across the UK and Ireland. The top placed international team was WSV Woudrichem, from the Netherlands, in third place, winning gold in three classes. Despite challenging weather conditions at the start of the event, the championship demonstrated both the resilience of the sport and the exceptional suitability of Loch Ryan as a venue for major water sports competitions. Harry Harbottle, chair of Stranraer Water Sports Association, added: "The hard work and passion that has gone into SkiffieWorlds 2025 from our volunteers, our community, and our partners has been extraordinary. "This event has proven beyond doubt how well-suited Stranraer and Loch Ryan are to hosting major water sports events. "We are tremendously excited about working with local and national agencies and organisations to ensure Stranraer can fully capitalise on its incredible potential as a water sports destination." Stranraer’s hosting of SkiffieWorlds 2025 was supported by funding from Dumfries and Galloway Council, EventScotland, South of Scotland Enterprise, Kilgallioch Community Fund and The Galloway Association of Glasgow, with local company EcoGen serving as headline sponsor.