Eskmuthe Rowing Club produced one of the finest regatta performances in the club’s history by finishing third overall at the Ullapool Regatta, behind winners Wormit and runners-up Eastern.

Across two days of racing in fine but breezy conditions, Eskmuthe collected an outstanding nine medals - including two golds, the first golds the club has won at an elite regatta.

The crews also scooped two silver and five bronze medals - along with a number of 4th place finishes - to secure a place on the overall podium against some of Scotland’s strongest coastal rowing clubs.

The weekend’s success actually began before Eskmuthe’s own racing got underway, when junior rower Rhona joined a Lossiemouth crew for the Under 19 Mixed race and claimed gold on Friday evening.

Saturday proved to be a remarkable day for the club. The Under 40 Men opened the medal tally with bronze before the 280+ Men rowed superbly to take silver.

The Open Men added another bronze before the performance of the day from the Open Women, who stormed to victory, beating Eastern to the line in a thrilling finish.

Eskmuthe’s momentum continued throughout the afternoon as the Under 40 Mixed crew claimed bronze, followed immediately by another bronze for the 50+ Mixed crew, giving the club five medals in successive races.

Strong performances also came from the Under 40 Women (4th), 280+ Mixed (6th), Open Mixed (8th), 50+ Men (8th) and 50+ Women (10th).

Sunday brought increased temperatures, but Eskmuthe’s crews refused to slow down.

The 40+ Women added another gold medal with an outstanding display and also posted the fastest women’s time from any crew all weekend. The Women’s Decades crew followed to secure silver. The 40+ Mixed rounded off the medal collection with a sixth bronze for the club.

The Men’s Decades crew narrowly missed out on a medal in fourth place but recorded a superb time of 12:51, Eskmuthe’s fastest of the weekend. There were further strong performances from the 40+ Men (4th), Mixed Decades (9th), 60+ Women (8th), 60+ Men (11th) and 60+ Mixed (11th).

Meanwhile, Sarah T also secured a gold with Ullapool and Rob, and Ed picked up bronzes rowing with Eastern and Wormit respectively.

The regatta concluded with the traditional Andy Mix-Up Race, where the Eskmuthe boat was crewed by rowers from Eastern, Findhorn, Lossiemouth and Invergordon to finish tenth.

Simon Francis, club chair, commented: “This has been the most successful regatta in our history and it is the first time the club has gained a podium place in the overall standings.

“To finish third overall behind two of the strongest clubs in Scottish Coastal Rowing in a very competitive regatta is a fantastic achievement for everyone at Eskmuthe.

“Every crew contributed across the weekend, whether they won medals or not, and that’s what made the difference.

“There was a brilliant atmosphere, with everyone supporting each other on and off the water. Thank you to Ullapool for being amazing hosts and to the other 16 clubs present for a wonderful competition.”

Fox Stuart, Regatta Captain, added: “The standard of racing at Ullapool was incredibly high, so to come away with so many medals and third place overall is an outstanding result.

“It was great to see newer members and experienced rowers racing alongside each other and enjoying their success.

“Everyone involved in the club has played a part in this success from the repair crews to the people who join in our fundraising efforts. A particular thanks to the beach masters who kept our races running smoothly all weekend.”