Rowing Lessons on Belfast Bay

We offer private and group sliding seat lessons on Belfast Bay. Private lessons take place one-on-one with rower and coach Leigh Dorsey in one of our Savo 650D sliding seat rowboats. Group lessons take place in our one-of-a-kind Savo quad, with Leigh in the coxswain seat. Lessons are tailored to the individual’s desires – the focus can be on technique, fitness, or simply the joy and healing of getting out on the water in beautiful Penobscot Bay.

Learn how to row a sliding-seat rowboat in a relaxed atmosphere on picturesque Belfast Bay. With 8+ years of experience in teaching people to row, Leigh offers her unique blend of humor, kindness, and honesty to meet each rower where they are and build their confidence and technical skill. (Don’t worry, it won’t be all instruction – we’ll also stop to catch our breath and admire the beauty that we encounter along the way.)

Private Lesson

For seasoned sliding-seat rowers who want to enjoy some time on the water with a ready and willing rowing partner on beautiful Penobscot Bay.

Come try out our unique Savo 650D double sliding-seat rowboats. These boats are sturdy enough to handle a wide range of conditions, yet light enough to get going pretty fast – if that’s what you’re after. Leigh will cater the experience to your desires, whether you’re looking for a peaceful jaunt around the harbor or a higher intensity training row.

Private Fitness Row

Join fellow beginning rowers in our one-of-a-kind Savo Quad! This sturdy boat (built for 4 rowers) is seaworthy and forgiving, allowing you to focus on the basics of sliding seat rowing technique without worrying about tipping the boat.

Drawing on her 8+ years of experience teaching crews to row well together, Leigh will lead from the coxswain’s seat with her special combination of humor, kindness, and honesty as she provides both group and individual instruction.

Coxed Row with 4 Rowers – Beginner

Join fellow experienced rowers in our one-of-a-kind Savo Quad! This sturdy boat (built for 4 rowers) is seaworthy yet fast, perfect for going out in a variety of conditions on the bay and guaranteed to give you a good workout! This row is for those who have solid sliding seat technique and are looking for a good hard row with like-minded enthusiasts!

Coxed Row with 4 Rowers – Fitness Row

Custom Row

If you have an idea for a row you’d like to do that’s not on this list, please get in touch! I’m happy to work with you to create a custom row. Maybe you have a group of friends that want to row together each week, or maybe you’d like to have a longer row, or a special row to mark an occasion like a birthday, anniversary, or other festive day. Contact us to share your idea and start the conversation.

Coaching for Clubs

Leigh would love to help other gig clubs in the region interested in improving their club’s technique and/or competitiveness. Fusing together her experience of rowing competitively in sliding seat shells, sliding seat livery rowboats, and traditional fixed seat pilot gigs, Leigh has a broad perspective on what makes boats move efficiently through the water, and meets rowers wherever they are on their rowing journey.

For the past nine years she has coxed and coached both beginning rowers and seasoned racing crews with ComeBoating! right here in Belfast. Most recently, she trained a men’s open team for the 2024 World Pilot Gig Championships. She has competed in the World Pilot Gig Championships in Cornwall twice, in 2018 and 2024. In 2024, she and her team finished 21^st out of 132 teams in the Women’s Open Division.

Please contact Leigh if you have a club that rows 4- or 6-oared traditional boats and are interested in scheduling a weekend of rowing and/or coxswain training.