Castle to Castle race marks its 20th anniversary
- 4 days ago
- 4 min read
A wet and soggy Saturday morning in Beaumaris saw 24 boats from 12 clubs prepare for the annual Castle to Castle Race. Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, the race remains one of the highlights of the Welsh Sea Rowing calendar, following a 20km westward course along the Menai Strait between the two historic castle towns.
Despite the rain, Beaumaris was especially busy. Alongside the 116 rowers and coxes gathering for the race, the RNLI was hosting the town’s Lifeboat Day, so the racing crews took to the water to the sound of sea shanties from the lifeboat crew — something we may need to book for every race!
A strong current running down towards Menai Bridge made for a chaotic start. After the five-minute warning, several boats struggled to hold their positions behind the start line.
Safety boats were kept busy marshalling the line and calling crews back and when the race hooter sounded, a few boats were still facing in the wrong direction.
Aberdyfi’s Clychau, powered by their all-conquering men’s crew, took the expected early lead as the fleet raced towards Gallows Point with Beaumaris’ mixed crew in Menai close behind.
Much of the fleet remained tightly packed as the boats passed Bangor Pier and headed on towards Ynys y Bîg, Ynys Castell, Ynys Gaint and Ynys Faelog.
Olympic connection
As crews rowed through the pouring rain, few may have realised the rowing connection to Ynys Gaint, the largest of the four islands off the coast of Menai Bridge.
The privately owned island was purchased in 1929 by Sir William Guy Fison, who later added the concrete bridge linking it to Anglesey. Fison, who became the 3rd Baronet of Greenholme, was bowman in the New College, Oxford eight that won silver at the 1912 Stockholm Olympic Games.
It’s not known if he ever considered rowing Celtic Longboats!
Siwan’s ladies crew had taken full advantage of the tide to get a great start passing both Ynys Môn’s Dafad Ddu and CYC Deganwy’s Mary Meldrum in the early stages before setting their sights set on Bay of Colwyn’s Pedr Sant and Gorn Gwynant.
The fleet began to spread out as it passed the old Bangor University Rowing Club boathouse and approached the Menai Suspension Bridge.
Among the Beaumaris boats, Seiriol and Mabli were locked in a private battle, with Mabli finding the extra effort needed to pull clear before reaching the bridge.
With no passing allowed between the two bridges, Mabli’s move proved decisive.
The crew opened a gap that Seiriol could not bridge — pardon the pun — and held it all the way to Caernarfon.
As the boats rowed beneath the Britannia Bridge, they passed Carreg Frydan, a rock many believe played a part in the bridge being incorrectly named.
Carreg Frydan is the rock upon which Robert Stephenson placed one of the bridge’s central towers. Brydan derives from the Welsh word brwd, meaning fervent — a fitting description of the fierce water flowing past the rock.
However, the name was misinterpreted to mean Britain, the Welsh word for Britain being Prydain, from whence came the name Britannia.
Reaching the halfway point
After the Britannia Bridge, the wall surrounding the Vaynol Estate on the Gwynedd shore loomed into view followed by Plas Newydd, seat of the Marquess of Anglesey, on the opposite shoreline, marking roughly the halfway point of the race.
It was at this point that the sculls, which had started five minutes after the longboats, began working their way through the field. First through was the men’s crew of Dwyryd from MYC Porthmadog, closely followed by Beaumaris’ mixed crew in Cwch y Cedyrn.
Once passed the Vaynol, the village of Felinheli appears and disappears quite quickly as the race heads onto the deceptively long stretch towards Plas Menai and the old Griffiths Crossing railway station.
With the excitement of the bridges long behind the rowers, this is where the legs begin to tire and ache — yet there is still around 6km left to race.
Cybi, having passed Ynys Môn’s Copr Ladi and Blodwen of Clwb Rhwyfo Porthmadog, spent much of the second half locked in a close contest with Ceridwen of Aberystwyth.
Their determination told in the closing stages, as Cybi finished 23 seconds ahead of the mid Wales club.
Almost perfect conditions
Despite the rain, racing conditions were nearly perfect: a strong tide, almost no wind, and fast water throughout. The pace was exceptional, with almost every boat trying to chase down another over the final few kilometres.
The speed of the race was reflected in the results. The fastest longboat in 2025 finished in 1:52:13, while Aberystwyth won in 2024 with a time of 1:41:50. This year, Clychau smashed those marks, winning the longboat race in 1:32:08.
The sculls were equally impressive. Dwyryd won the overall race in 1:25:08, comfortably beating the winning times from the previous two years.
It was also an excellent day for Beaumaris’ six boats. Menai finished as the second-fastest Celtic longboat and won both the overall Mixed category and Mixed Vets, Cybi finished as the third-placed longboat and won the Mixed Open category and Cwch y Cedyrn finished as the second scull overall also winning the Mixed Scull category.
A huge thank you goes to the Royal Welsh Yacht Club for its organisation and warm welcome on the race’s 20th anniversary. Thanks also go to the Beaumaris Rowing Club members who helped marshal the unloading of boats and kept rowers fed and watered at the start line.
We would also like to give a special thank you to Beaumaris RNLI for their cooperation at the start line during their incredibly busy and successful Lifeboat Day.
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