The Skiff Club is the oldest skiff and punting club in existence, having been founded in 1895. It is based on the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

in London, on the Middlesex bank between

Teddington Lock Teddington Lock is a complex of three locks and a weir on the River Thames between Ham and Teddington in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England. Historically in Middlesex, it was first built in 1810. The limit of legal po ...

and

Kingston upon Thames Kingston upon Thames (hyphenated until 1965, colloquially known as Kingston) is a town in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, southwest London, England. It is situated on the River Thames and southwest of Charing Cross. It is notable ...

. The Club supports two traditional water sports -

skiffing Skiffing refers to the sporting and leisure activity of rowing (or more correctly sculling) a Thames skiff. The skiff is a traditional hand built clinker-built wooden craft of a design which has been seen on the River Thames and other waterways ...

and punting.

Skiff A skiff is any of a variety of essentially unrelated styles of small boats. Traditionally, these are coastal craft or river craft used for leisure, as a utility craft, and for fishing, and have a one-person or small crew. Sailing skiffs have deve ...

s are traditional, stable wooden boats which are sculled with a pair of blades. The Club uses skiffs for racing at regattas run under the rules of the

Skiff Racing Association The Skiff Racing Association (SRA) is the governing body in the United Kingdom for the sport of skiff racing. The SRA is affiliated to British Rowing. The objectives of the SRA are :(a) To maintain the standard of sculling in skiff and kindred r ...

, and for leisure outings such as Thames meanders. Punting is also carried out competitively at the same regattas as skiffing under the rules of the Thames Punting Club, having access to one of the few surviving Victorian punting ledges on the Surrey bank of the Thames. The Skiff Club colours are chocolate (bronze) and gold. The Club organises a club regatta at the beginning of September, and also hosts the skiffing mixed doubles marathon in May. The Club also co-hosts the Teddington Head with Walbrook Rowing Club. Over the years, club members have competed in

rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically ...

at international level. Members have also participated in long-distance rowing challenge events. The club provides support and coaching for all levels from beginner to advanced. The Club is co-located at Trowlock Island in

Teddington Teddington is a suburb in south-west London in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. In 2021, Teddington was named as the best place to live in London by ''The Sunday Times''. Historically in Middlesex, Teddington is situated on a long me ...

with Walbrook Rowing Club,

Royal Canoe Club The Royal Canoe Club (RCC), founded in 1866, is the oldest canoe club in the world and received royal patronage in the 19th century. The club promotes canoeing and kayaking, focusing on flatwater, sprint and marathon disciplines. Members of the clu ...

and Kingston Royals Dragon Boat Racing Club.

History

The Skiff Club was initially based at the Albany Club in Kingston and in 1897 took the Turk's Albany Boathouse which was vacated by the Royal Canoe Club that year. By 1972 the waterfront conditions had deteriorated, and for this and other reasons the Club took up the offer of Twickenham Rowing Club of accommodation on

Eel Pie Island Eel Pie Island is an island in the River Thames at Twickenham in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is on the maintained minimum head of water above the only lock on the Tideway and is accessible by boat or from the left (generally ...

. The Club left the island in 1988 and after a period located at

Molesey Boat Club Molesey Boat Club is a rowing club between Molesey Lock and Sunbury Lock on the River Thames in England. The club was founded in 1866 where its boathouse stands with hardstanding next to the Thames Path. Molesey has been the organising or su ...

and

Thames Tradesmen's Rowing Club The Thames Tradesmen's Rowing Club is a rowing club on the Tideway (upper estuary of the Thames) in West London, United Kingdom at Chiswick Boathouse, 100 metres north-west of Barnes Railway & Footbridge – beyond which is Barnes Bridge ra ...

at Barnes the Club settled at the present site on Trowlock Island in 1993. This had formerly been the Leisure Services site of British Petroleum which was acquired by pooling resources with the Royal Canoe Club and Walbrook Rowing Club.G. Dear ''One Hundred Years of Skiff Racing'' British Rowing Almanack - Amateur Rowing Association 2001

References

* Sports clubs established in 1895 Clubs and societies in London Rowing clubs of the River Thames 1895 establishments in England Sport in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames {{Rowing-club-stub

History

See also

References