Lewick Boating Club is one of seven active boat clubs on the Island of Shetland, an archipelago around 130 miles off the north coast of mainland Scotland. Lerwick, a chief town on the island, is located on the southeast coast, which historically a significant fishing village, now hosts one of the larger Sailing and Yoal Boating clubs on Shetland.
Lerwick Boating Club activities revolve around a more traditional form of rowing, Yoal rowing. Founded in 1922, the club has two Yoal rowing boats, named Scarfa, launched in 1997, and Siri, a boat first launched to the water in 2012. Yoal rowing possesses many of the same characteristics to our typical understanding of Rowing – the boat is composed of multiple rowers and a cox, teams that participate in regattas between the months of May and September each year. Yoal boats, however, are made of wood and use traditional methods for construction. They are typically 23 feet in length, with six oars and fixed plank seats for each rower. Their broad bases, wider than contemporary carbonfibre boats are a similar shape to that of coastal rowing boats. All components of a Yoal boat have a Gaelic name, reinforcing the close connection of Yoal rowing to the heritage of Shetland and the communities that live there.
Yoal rowing is truly a sport for all ages. Lerwick Boat Club has around 50-60 members, with their youngest rowers only eight years old. The club divides into members into different racing age groups. With under 12s, under 16s and under 21s, as well as open and veteran categories. That said, Yoal racing is a sport that transcends these age categories. Committee members Andrew, Howard and Connor explained that Yoal rowing is a cross-generational affair: “we’ve had regattas where you have three generations within a family all rowing at the same event.”
Rowing races on Shetland bring all clubs on the Island together. Yoal racing involves a one-kilmetre race across open water, locations for which are highly dependent on wind and weather conditions, which on Shetland, can be highly inclement at points of the year. Typically, Shetland hosts six regattas per year, side by side racing that usually lasts between six and seven minutes. Turbulent tides, fast changing winds and heavy boats make for gruelling racing from the start to the finish line. Racing occurs under the body of the Shetland Yoal Rowing Association, formed to oversee and agree upon boat building and racing rules for the Island’s regattas.
Arguably, one of the key challenges to the continuation of boating at clubs such as Lerwick could be keeping traditional Yoal rowing alive. For Lerwick however, the club remains highly active, celebrated and successful. The club recently claimed the championship title, beating all other clubs on Shetland to achieve a trophy that hasn’t been won by the club since 2008. Speaking to committee members, Andrew emphasised that Yoal rowing, for many clubs in Shetland, provides an integral focal point for the community. Not only this, rowing gives residents the opportunity to connect with the watery environment that surrounds them. Only a few weeks ago, Andrew was on the water coaching a Yoal of under 12s when they saw a group of killer whales only 20-30 metres from their boat.
Yoal rowing offers participants team-oriented exercises in the fresh air, as well as a new perspective on the coastline residents live on. Lerwick Boating club is a great example of the way in which rowing can connect participants with tradition, history and their geographical surroundings. Not only this, as committee members Connor and Howard expressed, its mental health benefits, cross generational and community bonding, and opportunity to meet new people makes Yoal rowing a fantastic sport for those on Shetland to get involved with. Lerwick Boating Club keeps more traditional forms of rowing alive, a community affair and important reminder of the historic routes of the now highly modernised sport we all know and love.
You can find out more about Lerwick Boating Club and its activities here: https://www.lerwickboatingclub.co.uk
