DEDICATED rowers wasted little time in getting back on the water as coronavirus restrictions were eased.

Members of Dunbar Coastal Rowing Club were back on the water for the first time since last September in the early hours of Monday, just moments after restrictions were relaxed.

At the stroke of midnight, they readied their boats, the Black Agnes and The Volunteer, which were launched down the slipway at Dunbar Harbour to enter a calm sea at low tide.

The club launched its first boat, The Volunteer, in May 2010.

The boat was built entirely by club members, who toiled over six months to master the unaccustomed skills in making a wooden boat, held together with resin.

The following year, it was joined by sister vessel the Black Agnes.

A spokesman for the club said: “Whatever the weather, the thrill of leaving Dunbar Harbour for the open sea with the multitude of sea conditions encountered has been a source of joy to club members, for whom rowing has been a new and exciting experience.”

The club has regularly taken part in regattas organised by other clubs and attended World Skiff Championships in Ullapool, Portsoy and Stranraer, winning a silver medal at the latter.

Next year, the club plans to take part in the World Skiff Championship event in the Netherlands.