SASCRAA Newsletter. June 2025
Future Skiffing events around the country.
June
7th 8th & 9th – Celtic Festival, Portarlington, Bellarine Peninsula. Vic.
Coastal Rowing Geelong are hosting a St Ayles Skiff hard stand display during this terrific festival featuring:- music, foods, traditional highland games & dancing, heraldry, genealogy and anything to do with the Celtic community.
20th & 21st – Albany Maritime Foundations launch of two skiffs.
The Foundation areinviting all skiffers to head to Albany for the weekend, to celebrate this significant event. Their build only commenced in October 2024, Wecongratulate the 20 strong building team on completing this simultaneous build with skiffs numbering 33 & 34 on our National register.
See their attached invitation below.
JULY
6th to 12th. – 5th World Skiffing Championships in Stranraer, Scotland.
Royal Freshwater Yacht Club in WA, have two crews participating in this terrific regatta, with a record 79 crews competing. We wish them all the best in their endeavours to bring home some silverware and as ambassadors spread the story of our active skiffing communities around Australia.
Sally Ward from Denmark,WA, known to many of us for her help with her coaching skills, is returning to her other home club Nairn Coastal Rowing Club, Scotland will also be competing at Stranraer.
Tin Can Bay Coastal Rowing Club’s launch of their two skiffs.
Date TBA.
August
Ongoing skiff maintenance for crews in the southern states taking a break
during their wintery months.
SASCRAA AGM – Date TBA
September
6th to 28th – Birarong Marr, Yarra River Keepers Festival. Three weeks of celebrating Melbourne’s traditional water source. The festival features the arts, crafts, traditional stories, river cleanup, & many other activities along the Yarra from it’s Source to Sea. Visiting skiffers are welcome to join Melbourne crews for a row on our favourite river, culminating on World Rivers Day.
More information :- Birrarung Riverfest 2025
28th –Denmark CRC, WA, are hosting the Denmark Classic Boat Festival.
Always a fun festival with lots of challenging rows on their local waterway. Travelling skiffers are always welcome, to join in the fun contact Dave Cliff.
Lunch during the recent 4 day Glenelg River Row, Nelson, Victoria.
28th – Help celebrate – World Rivers Day, is all about celebrating the waterways of the world. It is a day that highlights the importance of our rivers to all communities around the world. An opportunity for all skiffing crews to set the date aside to host their own event to celebrate the fun & challenges we enjoy of rowing on our healthy rivers & waterways.
For more information :- World River Day 2025
2026
January
26th Australia Day – Augusta Australia Day Picnic Row. Augusta are renown for their fabulous picnic rows, if you are in the area, don’t miss this one.
Competitive rowing & pride of crew performance feature highly on the day.
February
21st & 22nd – Twofold Bay CRC, at Eden on the southern coast NSW.
Invite you tojoin them for their re-established Eden Whale Boat Festival. The last Festival was held in th 1930’s. Their skiff ‘Kudingal’, only launched early in 2025 will feature, so let’s support this, their first big event, also celebrating 50 years of the Quarantine Bay Sailing Club.
Some crews may wish to include Twofold Bays weekend festival prior joining the Steamers Run which commences rowing at Bairnsdale, Vic, the following day.
22nd to 27th – Steamers Run 26, 5 days of adventure rowing 100 kms along Victoria’s famous Gippsland Lakes & river systems taking in the
6 km World’s LongestMitchell River Silt Jetties. The Run will be centered around two base camps at Nicholson River Caravan Park & Paynesville township. The Steamers Run will lead into the two day Paynesville Classic BoatRally. Fri 27th Feb to Sun 1st March 2026
Interest has been shown from crews:- LBT in Franklin Tasmania; Denmark WA; Lake Macquarie NSW; and most Victorian crews. Early EOI’s will enable the planning of loan skiffs if required. Route details to be released shortly.
For further information contact Geoffrey Daniel:- staylesaustralia@gmail.com
March
21st & 22nd – Albany Maritime Foundation in WA, are hosting Albany’s National Regatta, celebrating 200 years of the founding of Albany. This weekend promises to be a full weekend of interesting activities based around the whole community using the Kalgan River & protected harbours as a backdrop to the many water based activities.
Recent Membership renewals
We welcome Port Cygnet Sailing Club in southern Tasmania, with their renewed membership to SASCRAA. Their two skiffs, the Swan launched in 2014 & the Cygnet launched in 2017, are rowed by 70 – 80 members regularly over 6 days a week.
We also welcome Albany Maritime Foundation, as you read earlier are launching their first two skiffs on Friday 20th June. We look forward to hearing of your launch celebrations & follow up adventure rows.
Skiff names & photos to be released following the launch.
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If Crews have any events they would like to promote, please send details through to the Secretary, SASCRAA. :- staylesaustralia@gmail.com
SASCRAA website ongoing update.
SASCRAA has been updating features on the SASCRAA webpage.
If you have any news /events or adventure row reports, share & include them to promote your local skiffing communities.
On the administration side, if you have any updates relating to – crew descriptions, missing launch dates, photos or skiff related details please forward them to Dave Cliff :- denmarkrowers@iinet.net.auEdit “Oz Skiff news June 2025“
