FISA Tour Checks Out the Czech Republic

“C” gigs
© FISA

The information brochure advises to be in top physical shape. It is the “equivalent of running five marathons.” Last week 90 rowers from 17 countries took to the waters of the Vltava River in the Czech Republic to row 160 kilometres over six days.

As part of FISA’s Rowing For All programme, the annual FISA Tour is aimed at introducing recreational rowing in countries where this kind of rowing is not known. In it’s thirty-third year the Tour has covered various bodies of water throughout the world from lakes to rivers to the open seas. This year it wound its way over roughly 160 kilometres of the Vltava River travelling through seven locks and four large dams to the finish in the Czech Republic’s capital city Prague.

The boats used are supplied by the host country and this year Prague’s Slavia Rowing Club provided class “c” gigs – similar to a wide version of a quadruple scull with coxswain.

The castle in Prague
© FISA

A typical day consisted of about 30km of rowing followed by evenings filled with sightseeing, entertainment and eating. On the final day all 18 boats rowed into Prague and participants were received at the town hall by the deputy mayor of the city, Jiri Paroubek.

During the tour participants would rotate so that each day they rowed with a different crew. The coxswains would rotate as well with only the captains remaining the same.

Ages ranged from as young as thirty years old through to 79 years old and every participant received a gold medal and certificate on completion.

Next year the tour is planned for June 2005 in the Netherlands with 160km of rowing from Rotterdam to Amsterdam. (For more information click here.)

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