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Witterings Rowing Club
The Fleet

Our Boat

Meet Selkie, the Celtic Longboat our crews row - and a beginner's guide to every part of her.

The pink rowing boat Selkie moored alongside a wooden pontoon on a calm harbour at dusk

Celtic Longboat

Selkie

Selkie is the club's Celtic Longboat, and the boat you'll row from your very first session.

Length
24ft
Weight
~160kg
Hull
Fibreglass
Crew
4 + cox

About the Celtic Longboat

The Celtic Longboat was born in 1978 on the coast of West Wales, when Tom Sutton found the washed-up frame of a traditional Irish currach - a wooden-framed, tar-skinned boat - and thought it would make a great race boat.

Today Dale Sailing still build them, and the class continues to grow across the country.

Know your boat

New to coastal rowing? Here's what's what in a Celtic Longboat, and how to look after it.

A purple seat cushion marked WRC, strapped to the centre of a white seat bench

Fixed seats

Four composite benches, one for each rower. A cushion sits in the centre of each bench and must be strapped on securely (the straps go underneath) before the row. Never stand on any part of a seat bench - it can damage it.

The metal track the footrest is bolted to, with a row of holes for adjusting it to leg length Two black heel cups on a white footrest, with the black Velcro foot strap beside them

Stretchers and foot straps

Adjustable footrests that hold your feet in place during the drive phase of the stroke. They're set to each rower's leg length, and a Velcro strap secures the top of your foot.

The steel rudder hanging off the purple stern, with the tiller handle and a steering rope above it

Stern

The rear of the boat, where the cox sits.

Bow

The front of the boat.

Rudder and tiller

Controlled by the cox at the stern to steer the boat.

A black gate mounted on the boat's purple gunwale, its bar closed across the top

Gates (oarlocks)

Pivoting mounts on the gunwales (the top edges of the hull) that hold each oar securely. Washers can be adjusted to suit each rower's height, but only onshore. Never leave a gate unsecured after use.

The black bung set into the floor of the boat, next to the white bilge pump hose

Bilge pump

On the cox's seat, for pumping excess water out of the boat by hand if needed.

Bung

At the cox's feet, it stops water getting into the boat. It's unscrewed at the end of each row.

The oars

Each rower has a single oar, called a sweep, held in a gate. Every oar has four parts.

Stacked oar blades, white with purple stripes

Blade

A symmetrical Macon (tulip) shape.

Three black oar shafts with different numbers of purple tape bands marking their seats

Shaft

The long main rod of the oar. Each one is marked to match its seat position, from 1 to 4 - bow is seat 1 and stroke is seat 4.

Pink collars around three black oar shafts, each with a yellow clip

Collar

The sleeve around the shaft that rests on the gate.

Three oar handles with blue grip covers

Handle

The grip you hold. Take care of the grip covers - for example, when placing oars on the seat benches after rowing.

Ready to take a seat?

We run regular taster sessions for absolute beginners.

Book a Taster