FERRISBURGH — Members of the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum’s (LCMM) Community Rowing Club will be heading to Ullapool, Scotland, in early July to participate in the inaugural St. Ayles Skiff World Championship. Over 30 teams from Scotland, England, Tasmania, New Zealand, the Netherlands and the United States are registered to participate in the weeklong competition and community event. LCMM was invited to participate in this international competition as winners of the 2012 St. Ayles Championship held in Mystic, Conn., last June.
St. Ayles skiffs, or “skiffies” are four-person boats made for coastal rowing. Their design is based off of the Fair Isle skiff, a generic form that is descended from the smaller Viking skiffs. The museum has built two St. Ayles skiffs with the Community High School of Vermont as part of its Champlain Longboats Program. The Longboats Program, initiated in 1999, is an innovative boatbuilding and rowing program that partners the museum with regional schools and community organizations. The primary goal is to develop positive, healthy behavior in middle and high school students at a critical time in their lives by giving them the opportunity to experience the team- and self-esteem-building nature of boat building and rowing.
The LCMM Community Rowing Club offers adult rowing every week May through October utilizing the museum’s longboats and skiffs. LCMM members sign up to experience the beauty of Lake Champlain while getting a great physical workout. Adult community teams also participate in regional rowing competitions.
For more information on the Rowing Club or Champlain Longboats Program, contact the museum at 802-475-2022 or [email protected].