Celebrating the Launch of Cluaran

We are delighted to share the success of the official naming and launch of Cluaran, Holy Loch Sailing Club’s newly built St Ayles Skiff, which took place on Sunday 14th June.

More than 250 people joined us at the club for this special occasion, celebrating the culmination of seven months of dedication, hard work and community spirit. Thanks to the commitment of our volunteer build team, Cluaran is now afloat and represents not only a wonderful addition to the club but also a revival of boatbuilding in the village, adding a new chapter to Sandbank’s proud maritime heritage.

Blessed with glorious weather, the event attracted club members, supporters, sponsors, friends and local residents, whose enthusiastic attendance reflected the tremendous support the project has received from the very beginning.

Prior to the launch, Commodore Kirsty Brown addressed those gathered and expressed heartfelt thanks to everyone who contributed to the project. She recognised the efforts of the volunteers, sponsors, supporters and all those who generously gave their time, skills and resources to bring Cluaran to completion.

We were also honoured to welcome two St Ayles skiffs from Royal Gourock Yacht Club, whose crews rowed across to join the celebrations, adding to the sense of occasion and strengthening the friendships that exist within the coastal rowing community.

A particularly meaningful moment came when members of the Robertson family generously presented, on long-term loan, the historic bell from Robertson’s Boat Yard. The bell, which once marked shift changes and breaks for generations of workers, now serves as a lasting reminder of Sandbank’s rich industrial and maritime heritage.

Visitors enjoyed a display celebrating the history of Robertson’s Yard and the many notable vessels built in Sandbank over the years, including the famous Admiralty skiffs.

The project would not have been possible without the generous support of our sponsors and supporters. Special thanks go to Peter White and family of Swordfish Marine for providing the premises where Cluaran was built. We are also extremely grateful to Shearwater Marine, Western Ferries, Marine Blast, Alpkit, Isle of Bute Seasports Club, Iain Hamilton Scaffolding and the many local individuals who contributed materials, equipment, funding and expertise throughout the build.

One of the highlights of the day was the unveiling of a beautifully carved figurehead, created and donated by local craftsman Guy Elder. The figurehead was warmly admired by everyone attending and provides a unique and fitting finishing touch to Cluaran.

Thank you to everyone who attended, supported and contributed to this remarkable project. The launch was a wonderful celebration of community, craftsmanship and maritime heritage, and we look forward to seeing Cluaran on the water for many years to come.

What Next?

With Cluaran now launched, our focus turns to getting her on the water regularly and making coastal rowing an active part of club life.

We have established a team of convenors who will be responsible for overseeing rowing activities and helping to ensure that sessions are run safely and effectively. Over the next few weeks, the convenors will be meeting on Tuesday evenings to familiarise themselves with the operation of Cluaran and to develop procedures for launching, recovery and rowing activities.

We are also keen to expand our team of rowing convenors. If you are interested in becoming involved in helping to organise and oversee rowing activities, we would be delighted to hear from you. Please contact Marion at events@holylochsailingclub.onmicrosoft.com for more information.

The more convenors we have, the more Cluaran can be used, so we would strongly encourage anyone interested to consider taking on this important role.

We are also looking to appoint a skiff captain to co-ordinate the overall usage of Cluaran. Anyone interested in this role is encouraged to contact Marion using the email address above.

To help manage rowing sessions efficiently, we will be using an app that will allow rowing members to arrange sessions, request a convenor for each outing, and invite other members to join them for a row. This will help ensure sessions are well organised and properly supervised.

Cluaran is intended to be used by people of all abilities, and we warmly encourage participation from across the whole membership.

In addition, we will also eventually be offering rowing sessions to our cadet members, further extending opportunities for participation across the club.

Once this initial familiarisation period is complete, we will begin offering rowing sessions for club members, as well as taster sessions for non-members who would like to experience coastal rowing. Non-members will be welcome to attend up to two sessions, after which anyone wishing to continue rowing will be required to join Holy Loch Sailing Club.

Looking ahead to next year, we anticipate introducing a modest annual rowing fee for members who wish to make use of Cluaran. Any funds raised will be used solely to help cover the costs of operating, maintaining and developing the rowing programme. However, to encourage participation and help establish the rowing section, this fee will be waived for the remainder of this year for both existing members and anyone joining the club to take part in rowing.

Further details on rowing sessions, booking arrangements and opportunities to get involved will be shared in the coming weeks.