Ways to row

Coastal rowing

Coastal rowing is the traditional heart of rowing in West Cork. Crews of four rowers and a cox race sturdy, fixed-seat yawls on harbours, bays and lagoons, the way communities along this coast have done for generations.

It is a team sport in the truest sense: timing, rhythm and trust in your crew matter as much as strength.

Crew: Four rowers and a cox
Oars: One oar each
Boats: Timber yawls and one-design yawls
Season: Late spring to late summer

What is coastal rowing?

In coastal rowing each rower pulls one oar, which is called coastal sweep rowing. The power comes from the legs driving against the footplate, followed by the core and finally the arms, so good technique and timing with the rest of the crew matter far more than upper-body strength. Races are rowed in lanes: crews race out to a turning buoy and back to the finish, so a clean turn can win or lose a race.

Different parts of Ireland have their own traditional boats, from Cork yawls and Kerry four-oars to East Coast skiffs and Donegal skiffs. To let clubs from every region race on equal terms, a standard one-design boat, the Celtic Yawl, was introduced in 2002.

Timber yawls and modern yawls

Rosscarbery crews race both traditional timber yawls and modern one-design yawls. Timber yawl regattas such as Kilmacsimon, Courtmacsherry, Kilkern and our own Ross regatta keep the older boats and their skills alive.

Every crew has a cox, who steers, calls the stroke rate and guides the crew around the turn. Coxing is a brilliant way to be part of a crew, and younger members often start there.

An Eala, one of Rosscarbery's coastal yawls, with the club swan on its bow (photo: Ciaran Cronin)

The coastal season

South West Championship: five regattas each summer at Glandore, Union Hall, Baltimore, Castletownshend and Schull, run by the South West Coast Yawl Rowing Association and sponsored by the Celtic Ross Hotel.
Awards Gala: the season finishes in October with the South West awards night, where medals and trophies are presented.
County Finals: crews from across Cork race for county titles.
Irish Coastal Rowing Championships: the national championships, bringing together hundreds of crews from all around the country.
Southern Star Schools Regatta: held every year for national school crews from across the South West. In 2026 around 200 children from more than 30 schools raced on our Lagoon.
Timber yawl regattas and local regattas through the summer, including our own regatta on the Lagoon.

How the championships work

A win on the day and an overall championship title are not always the same thing.

South West Championship (a series): run by the South West Coast Yawl Rowing Association. Winning a race is the day's result; the overall South West title for each grade comes from championship points added up across the season's regattas, and the rounds can change from year to year.
Cork County Finals (one day): a separate county championship. Medals and titles are decided on the day, and it is not a round of the South West series.
Irish Coastal Rowing Championships (one weekend): Rowing Ireland's national coastal sweep championship, with its own entries, categories and medals.
All-Ireland Coastal Rowing Championships (one weekend): another national championship, run by the Irish Coastal Rowing Federation, separate from Rowing Ireland's championship and from the South West series.
Timber yawl regattas: usually fun regattas, often with mixed crews.
Club of the Day: recognises a club's performance at one regatta.

Rosscarbery and coastal rowing

Coastal rowing is where Rosscarbery Rowing Club began, and it remains the backbone of the club. Our crews train on the Lagoon through the winter and out at Glandore in late spring and summer, and race right along the West Cork coast.

The club hosts the opening round of the South West Championship in Glandore, and in 2023 Rosscarbery hosted the Irish Coastal Rowing Championships.

2026 was a season to remember. Our Under 12 and Under 16 crews were crowned Irish Coastal Rowing Champions (a second title in a row for the Under 16s), the club was Club of the Day at Baltimore, and we finished the year as South West Club of the Year and winners of the Teddy Burns Cup for underage rowing. See every title on our Roll of Honour.