The rowing scene in Aberdeen
Aberdeen rowing happens on the River Dee, where it meets the North Sea at the city harbour. All three clubs share a single stretch of water off South Esplanade West: Aberdeen Boat Club, founded in 1865, for adult rowers; Aberdeen Schools Rowing Association for juniors; and University Rowing Aberdeen, the joint programme of the University of Aberdeen and Robert Gordon University. Like every club north of the border, all are affiliated to Scottish Rowing rather than British Rowing.
Key numbers
The River Dee rises in the Cairngorms and runs east through Royal Deeside, reaching the sea at Aberdeen, where its estuary forms the city harbour. Rowing takes place on the tidal lower river near South Esplanade West, with the tidal limit just above the Bridge of Dee. The Aberdeen Boat Race is rowed over a 3.5km course on the Dee from the Bridge of Dee down to Aberdeen Boat Club. The three Aberdeen clubs share this water and a landing stage, with Aberdeen Boat Club and ASRA also sharing boats.
All 3 rowing clubs in Aberdeen
Sorted by founding year. Every entry links to the club's own website; we verified all URLs in May 2026. If you spot an error or your club is missing, let us know.
| Club | Founded | Location | Reach | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Aberdeen Boat Club
Founded in 1865 and affiliated to Scottish Rowing, ABC is Aberdeen's senior club on the River Dee. It welcomes new members aged 18 and over from complete beginners through to experienced rowers and scullers, and runs a Learn to Row programme. The club won the Wyfold Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta in 2002, and shares its boats and landing stage with Aberdeen Schools Rowing Association. |
1865 | South Esplanade West, Aberdeen, AB11 9AA | River Dee, Aberdeen | Senior community |
|
Aberdeen Schools Rowing Association
ASRA is Aberdeen's junior rowing club, developing school-age athletes on the River Dee with a squad system, coaching and a fleet for beginners up to international level. It is affiliated to Scottish Rowing and shares boats and a landing stage with Aberdeen Boat Club. Recent juniors have represented Scotland at the Home International Regatta and Great Britain at junior level. |
1960 | South Esplanade West, Aberdeen, AB11 9AA | River Dee, Aberdeen | School |
|
University Rowing Aberdeen
University Rowing Aberdeen is a partnership between Aberdeen University Boat Club and Robert Gordon University Boat Club, supporting student athletes from beginner to international level. AUBC and RGUBC race each other annually in the Aberdeen Boat Race, a 3.5km contest on the Dee from the Bridge of Dee to Aberdeen Boat Club; 2025 marked the event's 30th anniversary. |
- | South Esplanade West, Aberdeen, AB11 9AA | River Dee, Aberdeen | University |
Major regattas in or near Aberdeen
Annual (River Dee, Bridge of Dee to Aberdeen Boat Club)
Software for Aberdeen rowing clubs
Most of the 3 clubs above still run their boat booking, member admin, session attendance and crew lineups on a combination of spreadsheets, WhatsApp groups and printed sheets on the boathouse wall. Row HQ is rowing-club management software built specifically for clubs like these.
If your committee is hitting the predictable problems - lineups in the wrong file, fees uncollected, attendance unrecorded, captain on holiday with the password - book a 30-minute demo. We've ported clubs from spreadsheets in a weekend.
See Row HQ for your club
Free forever for clubs of up to 20 active members. No card needed.
Other rowing-club cities
Looking at the wider regional scene? Here are the other cities we have full directories for.
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From the blog
If you're researching the rowing scene in Aberdeen as a club admin or captain, these are the most useful pieces we've written.