Keeping up with the McKellars

Ahead of the British Rowing Masters Championships, Fergus Mainland caught up with Trish and Quintin McKellar

There are rowing families and then there are rowing families. The McKellars are the latter.

For more than 40 years, Trish and Quintin McKellar have lived and breathed the sport in a story that is traced back to the west coast of Scotland. In the most recent chapter of this story, the couple are gearing up for the British Rowing Masters Championships in just a few days’ time.

“Hopefully we’re going there to win,” remarked Quintin with much enthusiasm ahead of his racing in the Open G pair, as well as the Mixed G quad and eight.

“We’ve both got our own individual events. Trish has her women’s events and hopefully, I’m going to race a men’s pair. When we’re going anyway, the opportunity to race together seemed like quite an attractive option and the other two people we are racing with were also keen to do it.”

For the McKellars, this isn’t the first time they’ve taken to the waters together. Back in March, the clan descended on London to take on the Vesta International Masters Head of The River Race, and it was a star-studded line-up.

Trish and Quintin have four children. The eldest, Rebecca, has most recently rowed for Reading Rowing Club. Ross, meanwhile, coached out in Australia during his gap year. Ruth stopped rowing to have a baby after competing at Thames, while the youngest, Rowan, was part of the women’s eight that won bronze at last summer’s Olympic Games.

Despite the family’s time spent on the rivers, the mixed eight back in March was the first time all of them were able to be in the same boat.

“So there was Quintin and me, our four children, and our two sons-in-law rowed as well and that was Vet B which was quite good fun,” explained Trish.

“This is the year it worked out due to not having children but one of our daughters [Ruth] had a baby in November so she was only four- or five months post birth and jumped back into race!

“Our son hadn’t been in a boat for about 20 years so it was quite the bringing together and it was great fun. I don’t know if we’ll repeat that in the masters championships, it might be a bit much for all of them,” she said with a laugh.

Trish continued, “We said after the event that it was great fun, it was really motivating and we really enjoyed rowing in that crew. Even the ones who hadn’t rowed in a while really enjoyed it.

“They had come with great intentions of doing lots of training in advance and I think two of them did one erg each before racing and we thought that was great as a first attempt but if we want to do it again next year, we’ll have to do some training!”

Since the children were young, both Trish and Quintin have had the opportunity to row and race with all of them. Whether it’s generational doubles or mother/daughter and father/son combinations, the McKellars have been able to make some special memories on the water over the years.

Quintin and Rowan racing for George Watson’s College: @tmckellar123

The two even met whilst rowing at Glasgow University. Quintin had learned to row at Castle Semple Rowing Club in Renfrewshire before heading up to row in the Clyde while studying Veterinary Medicine.

“I was a part-time ranger at the park and I saw these guys coming out of a hen house which was the original club at Castle Semple. I saw these guys coming out with an eight and I was jaw dropped by how big it was, really impressed by them taking it out on the water and that’s how I started at Castle Semple.

“It was a fantastic old shed, it was a proper old hen house and of course, it didn’t have any flooring. When we were doing weights, the place would fill with water and the weights would freeze into the ground in winter. It was a good facility though, it did us!

Having rowed at school, Trish travelled north to the River Dee where she signed up for Aberdeen University Boat Club at the Freshers Fair.

“It was natural for me to go to the rowing club as it was the sport I knew and enjoyed. I also think it gives you a bit of confidence going off to university with a sport you are familiar with,” said Trish who finished studying at Aberdeen before heading back to Glasgow for post-graduate studies where she meant Quintin.

The two would only overlap at Glasgow for a year but would both train for Scotland and eventually represent Scotland in 1986 at a home Commonwealth Games.

After having children Trish and Quintin would eventually find their way back into the sport and find themselves training and racing out of Broxbourne Rowing Club, whom they will represent this weekend.

While they may not be racing with the full McKellar clan, the weekend will be a special one.  Trish and Quintin will line up on the start line for the mixed quad race in a boat named after their daughter following the delayed Tokyo Olympic Games.

@tmckellar123

Follow all the action at the 2025 British Rowing Masters Championships here.