RowinG aCTUaLLY
B Final of the men’s coxed quads
and fours at the 2007 World
Rowing Coastal Championships
for Clubs held in Mandelieu,
near Cannes (FRA).
Commenting about his experience at the
World Rowing Coastal Championships for
Clubs, Jean-François exclaims: “It was an
excellent adventure! We went there relaxed,
as our objective had been to win the French
national coastal championships [which
they did]. We had no idea what to expect
from other nationalities, and some of them
were really tough! Our advantage was our
experience, compared to crews of other
nationalities who seemed to essentially have
a flat-water rowing background.“
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© Igor Meijer
And this year, in 2008, the Frenchmen from
Saint Malo want to repeat their performance.
To reach that goal, this is how they do it,
says Jean-François: “Depending on the time
of year, we train five to seven times per
week, with a lot of variety in the training
programme. We swim, cycle and perfect our
rowing technique through river rowing. Out
at sea, we essentially work on endurance and
practice rowing around buoys- that part of a
race is decisive.“
how to adapt to weather conditions and
row with the best possible technique when
the winds are contrary and the waves are
swelling, when there are side and tail winds,
and when there are currents, is important in
coastal rowing. We also need to anticipate
what could happen and study the sea chart
before going out on the water to be able
to make the most of the water surface we
have. Knowing the tide and wind direction is
essential to avoid being surprised and being
able to take advantage of various options
within a race strategy.“ As is the case in flat-water rowing, team cohesion is a must, but
perhaps more difficult to obtain: “To reach
total cohesion, we need to learn how to row
in all kinds of conditions.“
purchased their first coastal rowing boat one
week before. They loved it. “They thought
’this is real thing’ says club president Sinuhé
Perez. “Until now, there has been no coastal
rowing in Barcelona. It is difficult to row there
because there are no rivers. To do high level
training, clubs in Barcelona have to travel
25km outside of the city.“ Now that they have
a coastal rowing boat, the problem of having
to travel to go rowing has been solved – they
can just go down to the sea. Barcelona Club
de Rem now hope to purchase facilities in the
Barcelona harbour, close to the University, and
purchase more coastal boats next summer to
hopefully bring rowing to a greater number
of people: “The Spanish are always ready to
discover new sea sports. We have 100km of
beaches around Barcelona.“
Coastal rowing technique is still being
developed and is only at its beginnings. As
Jean-François explains: “Coastal rowers still
have a lot to learn, even if they are beginning
to master the surfing technique. Knowing
Coastal rowing seems to be a more convenient
sport to practice in some places rather than
others. Barcelona, Spain, is one example.
Barcelona Club de Rem entered three crews
at the world championships for clubs and
Israeli competitors in Cannes-Mandelieu were
more than happy. “They were thrilled,” says
federation president Ram Golombik who
hopes to submit an initiative to the Israeli >>
