Shire rides the crest of SkiffieWorlds champs wave

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.

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.

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.

Max Berends, chair of St Ayles Skiff International, said: “As a blueprint for SkiffieWorlds I’d say Stranraer is the ideal location.

“It runs very smoothly, the volunteers and the community are tremendous, and it all comes together to create an event that is ideal.”

Wendi Cuffe, trustee of Stranraer Water Sports Association, who organised SkiffieWorlds, added: “All the clubs have been very kind, they’ve complimented us on our organisation, on our communication and this week has exceeded all my hopes and expectations for this event.

“The fact that the Stranraer community backed us 100 per cent has been the biggest part of it.

“They believed in us; they believed our water sports association could deliver this and they supported us to do it. We are so grateful to our community.”

Harry Harbottle, chair of Stranraer Water Sports Association, said: “The hard work and passion that has gone into SkiffieWorlds 2025 from our volunteers, our community, and our partners has been extraordinary.

“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.”

Competitors from across the globe were unanimous in their praise for both the venue and organisation.

In addition to the rowing, the championship featured a shoreside festival in Agnew Park, including live music, family activities, an artisan market, theatre performances, a wellbeing hub and nature-based activities that attracted thousands of spectators throughout the week.

The event built upon the success of SkiffieWorlds 2019, which generated between £3.5 million and £4 million for the local economy. Early indications suggest the 2025 event, with its increased participation, has delivered even greater economic benefits to Stranraer and the wider region.

SkiffieWorlds 2025 took place against the backdrop of ongoing construction of Stranraer’s new £6.7 million Water Sports Hub, scheduled to open in summer 2026.

The next major event to be hosted by Stranraer Water Sports Association is the Scottish Fin and Foil Championships, a three-day wind sports racing event which takes place from August 8-10.

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.