Saints Rowing

The University of St Andrews Boat Club is at the forefront of coastal rowing in Scotland and has been accredited as a GB Coastal Sculling Academy by British Rowing.

Performance

With access to some of the finest beaches in the country, top-class training facilities, highly experienced professional coaches, and an established Coastal rowing programme in partnership with Scottish Rowing, St Andrews offers an unrivalled opportunity for talented student rowers to progress to international level in the Olympic discipline of Beach Sprints.

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Boat Club

Founded in 1962, the Boat Club has grown massively from the humble beginning with one boat and 6 members! The club has developed to support students through a clear pathway within the club from beginners through to performance athletes aspiring for GB teams.

Under the guidance of our Director of Rowing, Lewis McCue, we have seen great competitive success in competitions and regattas throughout the UK, with athletes going on to represent Scotland and Great Britain.

With a flat-water base at Loch Ore in Fife, a coastal rowing training and event venue on our doorstep at East Sands Beach in St Andrews, and access to top-class training facilities at the University Sports Centre, rowers have all the tools to develop their skills and performance level to compete among the best in the country.

All matriculated students at the University can join the Rowing Club.

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Get on the water

The club is divided into four squads, Senior Men and Women and Novice Men and Women, plus Coxes. The men’s and women’s squads at each level tend to train together, and the whole club travel to Lochore together each week for water sessions.

Our senior squads consist of previous novices, ex-junior rowers and most years we have athletes undergoing GB Trials and/or representing Scotland. In Semester One, the Seniors race at Fours Head, and at GB Early ID Trials where applicable. In Semester Two, we race several Head Races in the Scottish region, BUCS Head and the Head of the River (HORR) and Women’s Head (WEHORR) in London. In the Summer Racing season we compete at BUCS, where we have had record-breaking performances in recent years, including our first two gold medals in 2019. Some crews remain in St Andrews after exams to train for Scot Champs, and top crews head south for Henley Women’s Regatta and Henley Royal Regatta.

Our novice squads are made up of students from all years of study who have never rowed before. They form close bonds very quickly, and compete at Scottish Indoors in their first semester, and are ready for BUCS Head by early in their second semester. Our novice programme is always very popular, and many move up to join the seniors after their novice year.

Flat-water training facilities

Lochore Meadows Country Park

Loch Ore provides 1.5km of beautiful open water in central Fife, and consistent and predictable training conditions all year round; it is small enough to allow for easier coaching, yet large enough that all our crews are able to train at once.

Flat-water training at Lochore is supplemented by trips and training camps across Scotland and further afield to give access to larger expanses of water.

The Club has a growing fleet, including Filippi, Hudson and Wintech boats for both men and Women.

Coastal training facilities

East Sands Beach, St Andrews

East Sands Beach is now established as one of the best locations in the country for Beach Sprints and is home to our Coastal Rowing programme, including our fleet of coastal boats.

St Andrews offers an unrivalled year-round training and racing venue for Coastal Sculling thanks to the unique microclimate of the East Neuk – one of the driest parts of the country – coupled with the favourable geography of the coastline, and proximity of amenities provided at East Sands Leisure Centre.

With easy access to the water from the harbour, or directly from the beach, it provides suitable access to the North Sea in all conditions year round.

Events

East Sands is one of the premier coastal rowing venues in the UK, and has hosted several national Beach Sprint Competitions and training camps for national teams, including:

  • inaugural Home Internationals Regatta (HIR) Beach Sprints Championships (August 2022)
  • inaugural Scottish Rowing Beach Sprints Championships (May 2024)
  • British Rowing Beach Sprints Championships (August 2024)

Land-based training facilities

Saints Sport performance centre

Saints Sport is the main land training base for rowers during the week, and provides students at St Andrews with access to some of the best sports facilities in Scotland.

As part of the performance programme our athletes are afforded access to sport specific specialist strength and conditioning coaching within the University’s top class Performance Suite – a dedicated strength and conditioning gym that provides a private space for the performance Senior squad to train undisturbed.

Sessions are led by expert Strength and Conditioning accredited coaches who have a wealth of lifting and coaching experience and have written plans for athletes competing at the highest level in Scotland, UK and on the European circuit.

Saints Coastal Rowing Regatta

The annual Saints Coastal Regatta was established in 2022 and was the first beach sprints regatta in Scotland, and the second largest Beach Sprints regatta in the world at that time. The regatta takes place at East Sands Beach in St Andrews, which is now established as one of the best locations in the country for Beach Sprints.

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Saints Rowing leisurewear

The University has teamed up with internationally renowned sports brand Macron to supply team and leisurewear to Saints Sport and affiliated clubs. Buy your official Saints Rowing kit today from the Macron online store.

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Why St Andrews

With over six centuries of heritage, world-class teaching and facilities that are both historic and state-of-the-art, St Andrews offers an outstanding education.

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