Rinamara returns to Rhu and Clynder after 33 years

She’s classic, she’s classy, and she’s got more sea miles under her belt than most of us have hot dinners – Rinamara is sailing back to the Clyde!

This 1968 McGruer yawl, sister to the famous Coigach, is dropping by the marina and the Gareloch this Whitsun bank holiday for a bit of a homecoming party. It’s her first return to local waters since McGruers gave her a top-to-toe makeover back in ’92 – new deck, fresh interior, the works.

Her proud owners, Calum (a Shandon lad originally) and Amanda, are thrilled to be back, catching up with old friends who helped them bring Rinamara home. And of course, they’ll be making a pilgrimage to her birthplace in Clynder – where it all began.

She’s not just a pretty face either. Rinamara was the final design by the legendary James McGruer, and she's spent decades cruising the Med, racing hard, and even sailing round the world back in the early ‘80s. Keeping the family tradition alive, Calum and Amanda’s daughter Aurora – fresh off the 2023–24 retro-style Ocean Globe Race – is part of the crew this weekend.

When she’s not bobbing about at Kip Marina (she’s Greenock-registered, naturally), Rinamara is moored up at Calum and Amanda’s croft house on Eriskay – a proper Highland hideaway.

If you're around the Gareloch this weekend, come say hi! Whether you’re a fellow sailor, a wooden boat buff, or just someone who loves a good Clyde-built story, you’re more than welcome to meet Rinamara and swap a few salty tales.