The sport of kayaking was first introduced to the Royal West of Scotland Amateur Boat Club in the early 1970s. In the 1970s glass fibre boats were just starting to be developed commercially by a number of manufacturers. Kayaking clubs started to spring up at a number of locations, initially around coastal areas but they very quickly started to spread inland as the boats could be easily transported.
As well as touring with the boats and going on expeditions, kayakers started to have competitions between clubs. The Royal West first held a Long Distance Race Marathon Race in 1974, with the race known as the Tail o’ the Bank after the feature on the River Clyde where the river joins the Gare Loch and Loch Long.
The race was re-started to mark the Club’s 150th anniversary in 2016. The present members aim to continue organising the Tail o’ the Bank race for the foreseeable future.
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