Eskmuthe Crews Master Tough Seas At North Berwick Regatta

Eskmuthe Rowing Club crews rose to the challenge of difficult conditions at the North Berwick Regatta, which saw boats race around Craigleith island in easterly winds and swirling seas.

The iconic course across more than 3km of open water provided a stern test of skill and stamina.

Eskmuthe recorded the club’s best-ever overall performance at North Berwick with a gold and two silver medals.

The gold came in the Mixed Novice race, where the club’s World Championships U19 silver-medal crew stepped up to senior level and stormed to victory in 21 minutes 50 seconds. 

The 45+ Women also impressed with a superb silver (22:13) to start the day, while the Open Women matched that achievement with another silver in 20:24 in the last race.

Strong finishes were also recorded in the 45+ Mix (4th, 21:11), Mixed Decades (5th, 21:39) and Open Men (8th, 21:08).

The 240+ Mix race brought more drama. Eskmuthe finished 9th in 24:57 but, after a review, their time was reduced by 30 seconds due to being impeded by other boats around the Craig.

The club’s fastest time of the day was 19:52, posted by the Open Mix crew. While the team initially crossed the line to claim gold, the Chief Umpire later disqualified the crew following a review of the course that boats took around the back of Craigleith. Eskmuthe is seeking further clarification of the decision.

Regatta Officer David Lee praised the spirit shown by all involved: “Racing around Craigleith is always demanding, but the strong easterly winds made this one of the toughest regattas in years. Eskmuthe’s rowers showed real determination across all categories, and the results demonstrate the club’s growing strength and ability to compete at the highest level.

“A special mention to the coxes, who had to contend with extremely challenging conditions which changed from race to race.”