Alnmouth rowers go Dutch in World Championships

A group of 24 rowers took their St Ayles skiff across to Kortgene to compete against 1,300 competitors from 55 other clubs from around the world.

It was a great place to row and the facilities were excellent.

Rhoda Foote, chair of ACR, said: “We had a wonderful time both on and off the water and certainly put Alnmouth and Northumberland on the rowing map.

"We made it into five finals (two more than last time), improved our world ranking from 25th to 16th and came home with a silver medal, being pipped to the gold by less than two seconds.

"We also had the loudest and most enthusiastic group of supporters!”

St Ayles skiffs are coastal rowing boats and, in addition to racing, members of ACR enjoy exploring the wonderful Northumberland coastline by sea.

Skiff rowers are a diverse bunch of friendly people with a huge range of backgrounds, experience and ages.

Rhoda would encourage anyone who is interested in this growing sport to contact their local club and have a go for themselves.