Around 1972 Jim Hogan had the filling station at Brodie and had started up Caley Cruisers.  He offered the use of the cruisers for an event to Aberdeen University but they declined.   He then spoke to Dusty de Ste Croix, an Assistant Venture Scout Leader in Moray, and offered their use for a weekend event to the Scouts.
To quote from a letter from Hugh Cowham, then Scout County Commissioner for Moray:  “It all began with Dusty in a Pub in Forres – Isn’t it wonderful how even bad habits can produce good results!  Dusty came to me saying that the owner of the Caledonian Cruisers would make about half a dozen boats available for a Scout weekend and, he would put up a bit of sponsorship money.
From there- things grew”

Shortly after at the Scout Scottish Conference Hugh Cowham discussed the idea with the then Chief Commissioner for Scotland Captain George Pound.  The present Camp Chief, James Welsh, happened to be talking to one of them at the time so was at this meeting.  A steering committee chaired by Hugh Cowan was then formed resulting in the Caledonian Water Rally, as it was officially called for the first 30 years, taking place on the 20th-21st October 1973
It was felt that there was a need for an event to be held in the North of Scotland as at that time it was difficult for Scouts to get to events in central Scotland.  Captain George Pound was the first Camp Chief.  With his naval background Captain Pound was keen to promote water activities and had set up the Lochgoilhead Centre originally based in his back garden.

The site chosen was a caravan park on the shores of Loch Oich, and the numbers would be limited to 250 Scouts and 50 Guides.  Mr Jim Hogan, offered financial support from the Caledonian Canal Pleasure Craft Operators’ Association, and the event was to include a mixture of competitive and non-competitive elements.
Sadly the weather on the Saturday showed the Scottish Highlands at their worst, and part of the caravan site was rock-hard and would not absorb the rainwater.  As a result many participants had to abandon the event on the Saturday when water was flowing through their tents.  However, the Sunday proved a glorious day and the event ended with a grand parade on the loch.

Such was the success of the idea (despite the weather), that it was decided to move the event to (hopefully) a drier location close to Inverness, and, with the support of Lord Burton and Dochfour Estates, the next twenty-nine events were held each October at Dochgarroch.  The village hall provided indoor accommodation for registration, staff catering and the disco on the Saturday evening.  At early rallies there was also a film show or speaker, one being Tom McClean who had rowed the Atlantic.  The October weather over the years has included ‘Indian summers’, snow and temperatures overnight of below -5°C, as well as a fair share of rain.

The competitive element of the rally only lasted for the first rally, and thereafter most of the events were more in the form of bases where participants could tackle a new activity or improve on an existing skill.  Scott II, for many years the Caledonian Canal icebreaker and cruise ship appeared at some of the early rallies.  Up until the 35th rally, (except for the 31st and 32nd rallies), Caley Cruisers supported the event with the loan of large numbers of small cruisers (they have unfortunately now sold off the small cruisers).  The ‘sail past’ was held at a few of the early rallies with the flotilla being led by Captain Pound in a canoe.  The time taken to organise it meant that it was dropped from the programme.

At various times the event hosted an amateur radio station as the October weekend often coincided with the international ‘Jamboree on the Air’.  Rabbit skinning, clay pigeon shooting, mountain bikes and orienteering have taken their place alongside canoe instruction, raft building, rope bridge building and even fly-casting.  With the growth in popularity of boating and the resulting pontoons on the canal the raft building had to stop.  For many years one of the bases was pioneering with the end result being a gateway to the site.
Support was provide by the paid and voluntary staff from the Lochgoilhead Centre who for many years transported canoes, safety boats, lifejackets, etc  and were in charge of the water activities.  Some still come but the equipment is now sourced locally.  A team of leaders from all over Scotland was built up to run the land-based activities.  Support was also provided for many years by the Scout Scottish Headquarters staff, at first from 44 Charlotte Square in Edinburgh and then from Fordell Firs.  More recently SHQ has felt that leaders in the Highlands were well able to run the event themselves.

When Captain Pound retired as Chief Commissioner in the late 1970’s his successor Captain Hamilton-Meikle became Camp Chief and until his death Bill Hamilton from Lochgoilhead oversaw the water activities.  In 1982 Bert Inglis, Area Commissioner for Ross and Sutherland took over as Camp Chief, to be replaced in 1991 by Duncan Chisholm of the 21st Inverness (Lochardil) Group and in 2003 by Andy Holmes, former Area Commissioner for Lochaber.  In 2008 James Welsh, a member of the Inverness District Scout Fellowship,  became Camp Chief.  The only rallies that he has missed are the 10th and 15th having had to pull out at the last minute for family reasons.

With the gradual closure of the Dochgarroch campsite, it was decided that a new venue was necessary, and in 2003 the event dropped the ‘Water’ part of the name and moved to the Ross and Sutherland campsite at Tollie Brahan.  With its closure in autumn 2005 the event once again moved back to the waters of Loch Ness, at Borlum, near Drumnadrochit for the 2005 Rally, before returning to the Dochgarroch site in 2006.

In November 2009 the rally came under the auspices of Highlands & Islands Regional Scout Council with the Camp Chief becoming Regional Advisor Activities (Caledonian Rally).