We currently own four East Coast traditional skiffs and two FISA boats. Our skiffs are heritage clinker built wooden boats which have been used exclusively on the East coast of Ireland from Skerries to Courtown for hobbling for well over a century. Our FISA boats is an Olympic standard 4-seater and one double. These allow our members to row all year round.

We are members of Rowing Ireland as well as  the East Coast Rowing Council and take part in racing Regattas each summer held up and down the East Coast. We also have social rowing crews, many of whom take part in long rows and have represented the club on the Liffey, Barrow, Lee, Thames London and Seine Paris.

History of east-coast skiffs

In the 1700’s skiffs were commonly used on the East Coast of Ireland to pilot and unload/load ships that came into port. Known as Hobblers, or unlicensed pilots, competition was rife amongst crews to be the first to reach the ships. Crews of Hobblers, from Lambay to Wicklow, would row out into Dublin Bay each morning and wait for the sight of a ship. Then the race would begin.

The rules of their competition were simple – the first crew to successfully race out and ‘hook’ a ship, won themselves the right to guide that ship safely into port.

‘Hooking a ship’ meant throwing a boat hook up and over its side. There was fierce rivalry between different teams of Hobblers which often lead to arguments about which crew had hooked the ship first. Depending on the size of the ship being led to berth, records show that the successful Hobblers could earn anywhere from £1.50 to £5.

Hobbling

The Hobblers were a key part of many coastal communities across the city. The tradition was very strong in Ringsend and Dun Laoghaire, where several families had produced generations of successful Hobblers.

By the 1940s, Hobbling had declined as means of employment, left behind by advances in marine technology. However, the tradition did not die out. Crews began to organise weekly races against each other every weekend and the victorious crew was often able to earn a lot more than they would have guiding ships.

Over the years the Hobblers’ races evolved into the sport of East Coast Skiff Rowing, and the tradition has survived into the 21st century.

Today a monument stands in Dun Laoghaire Harbour in testament to the Hobblers and in memory of those lost at sea. These working class heroes knew what it meant to earn a day’s pay!