Skiffie Worlds 2016

We are very excited to be hosting the Skiffieworlds 25^th to 30^th July 2016 here in Strangford Lough Co Down, Northern Ireland, the event is...

Strangford Lough, County Down, Northern Ireland, has been selected as the venue for a major, international coastal rowing event, "Skiffieworlds 2016"; it was announced today, by the Scottish Coastal Rowing Association (SCRA). 800 competitors, some from as far away as the United States and Tasmania, and up to 60 boats, are expected to participate in these World Championships for the St Ayles' Skiff class of coastal rowing boat. The event will be hosted by the Strangford Lough and Lecale Partnership (SLLP), working closely with the SCRA, and with the support of local councils and...

Strangford's rowing boat, "Strangfjorthr" won a prestigious, perpetual trophy at the Ocean to City, international coastal rowing race in Cork at the weekend for the best finished and most beautiful boat out of the 165 competitors. The 22 foot St Ayles' Skiff was built last year by and for the local community as part of the Strangford Lough and Lecale Partnership's coastal rowing initiative and she is the pride of the village. She was named by local schoolchildren.
The build team was led by local boat-builder, Jeremy Duffin, and his loving care and attention to detail shows in every...

BBC Countryfile came to Ardglass to film the St Ayles skiffs that have been built in communities around the coast from Donaghadee to Dundrum, Helen Skelton was filmed rowing Kircubbin's Black Neb Vixen and helping with some boat building.  The programme will be going out on BBC 1 Sunday 15th of March 2015 18.50 make sure you watch.  

Check out  the time lapse film taken in a workshop in Killyleagh as the team of boat builders built their community Skiff.

This was part of the Narrows Challenges project  funded by DRAP and the PSNI.

St. Ayles Skiff Race

Dundrum 27 December 2014

Weather permitting, on 27 December, when at least a partial recovery will have been achieved from the indulgences of...

Killyleagh takes the trophy in the first Narrrows Challenges coastal rowing race.

Everyone was a winner when communities along the County Down coast came together to race their beautiful skiff rowing boats in the first Narrows Challenges, run by the Strangford Lough and Lecale Partnership (SLLP), this weekend. The atmosphere was electric as Killyleagh’s fiery red “Skart” scooped the main trophy just ahead of Strangford’s Strangfjorthr” . The boats completed the course and Ardglass, Dundrum and Killyleagh won the sprint races with teams of all abilities getting the...

Portaferry The Official Launch

Portaferry is the seventh boat to be launched. This is one of nine St Ayles’ Skiffs being built along the coast, from Donaghadee to Dundrum as part of a community and tourism initiative developed by the Strangford Lough and Lecale Partnership (SLLP) with the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). It has been approved by the Down Rural Area Partnership (DRAP) as part of the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development: Europe investing in rural areas and it is supported by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, and Down District and Ards...

Dundrum boat hits the water with only hours to spare Donagahdee have named their new community coastal rowing boat ” Ramharry” which is the Viking term for “rough and strong”, which is a good name for this fast but strurdy boat, which has been built in a record time in premises supplied by Sheilds’,just off the High Street in the town. Ramharry took to the water on Saturday, and teams of rowers began training for the first “Narrows Challenges” rowing competitions that will be held on 5 October.

The race will commence at 10.30am from Portaferry, across the tidal...

Strangford’s boat is launched Strangford’s new community coastal rowing boat was launched on Sunday 28 September to a great local turnout. Children from St Joseph’s Primary School, Strangford, named her "Strangfjǫrðr" , the Viking form of their village’s name, which means “strong, currents” and reflects the power of the of the tidal waters of the Strangford Lough Narrows.

These Narrows and nearby Castle Ward Bay will be the venue for the first “Narrows Challenges” rowing competitions that will be held on 5 October ....

Ulster Rugby Team Help Launch Kircubbin Boat Kircubbin’s stunning ‘Black Neb Vixen’ boat, with black and cream planking to suit, has been launched and is ready to row. Members of the Ulster rugby team turned out at the weekend to give the community a helping hand to ease her into the waters of Strangford lough for the first time. This is the third of nine boats, built by communities along the County Down Coast, being launched in the run up to the Narrows Challenges rowing races on 5 October at Castle Ward, Strangford, organised by the Strangford Lough and Lecale Partnership...

. Killyleagh Community Rowing Boat HitsThe Water Killyleagh’s new rowing boat “Skart”, took to the water gracefully for the first time this weekend just like the seabird after which she is named. The word “skart” is thought to derive from a Viking name for a cormorant and has been handed down for generations in Killyleagh.

This is the second of nine coastal rowing boats being built by communities around Strangford Lough and the County Down coast as part of the Strangford Lough and Lecale Partnership’s (SLLP’s) community coastal rowing project “The Narrows...