We aim to build a St Ayles Skiff on the River Medway. These boats are inspired by the design of a traditional Fair Isle Skiff. The St Ayles skiff was first commissioned in 2009 by the Scottish Fisheries Museum, to be used in The Scottish Coastal Rowing Project. Inspired by communities of Scottish coal miners, who built their own boats to race, at inter-community rowing competitions, – the intention of the project was to reconnect coastal communities, both in competition, socially and with/by the sea. Since 2009, hundreds of St Ayles skiffs have been built around the United Kingdom, Ireland, and all over the world. Most have been built by non professional boatbuilders and community groups big and small – from mens sheds – to coastal-town and village communities, by people of all ages and backgrounds. Many may go on to row the boats they build, in competitions with other skiff building groups and communities. The benefits of people coming together to build boats is widely known, to not only improve community cohesion, but also to improve personal wellbeing. Creating a wooden rowing boat, together with a diverse group of people from your community, creates shared personal pride in your craft. Once on the water, with a crew of local rowers who train to compete with other coastal towns and groups; the pride of the community boatyard, is now the pride of the whole community. I am only scratching the surface of the many benefits for individuals and groups.

For more on the subject of ‘community boat building’ see: Why Community Boat Building .

The historic coastal town of Faversham, has built the first St Ayles Skiff in Kent and the South East (number two is nearly complete). The Faversham community boat build, has kick started us all in the region to catch up – with many communities around the Kent Coast getting on board. Faversham has a brand new rowing club, and they have thrown down the challenge to all in the South East, by stating their aim to start a brand inter-community rowing competition, open to all from the original the Cinque Port communities all along the coast, to the communities of the Thames Estuary.
To be eligible for entry, all you need, is to build a St Ayles Skiff and enlist a crew of four rowers and a cox.

With all this in mind, a group of us in Medway decided we wanted to be involved, and Faversham – having heard of our interest – has made it personal, by throwing down a challenge none of us, who live on the Medway Estuary can turn from.

The Faversham Community Boat build group, have made known their intention to row their newly launched St Ayles Skiff –
right up the middle of the River Medway, into the centre of the historic city of Rochester, on a route very similar to
that of the last Dutch Invasion fleet on 19–24 June 1667.

For details of the communities building skiffs in the South East of England, and the new Inter Community Rowing Competition see: Cinque Ports Rowing Challenge .

The short, six minute, film that follows – is about the best introduction to the St Ayles Skiff there is:

Here are a few links for further reading:
An Introduction to the St Ayles Skiff: https://jordanboats.co.uk/st-ayles-skiff-jordan-boat-kits/

And the technique of building this type of boat: https://jordanboats.co.uk/jordan-boat-kits-plywood-kit-clinker-ply/

Iain Oughtred‘s book on clinker plywood construction: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Clinker-Plywood-Boatbuilding-Manual-Oughtred/dp/0937822612

Other sources of obtaining the St Ayles kit: https://scottishcoastalrowing.org/boat-building/about-the-kit/