Preparing for this year's Coastal Challenge

Less than two months remains to the start of the 2005 World Rowing Coastal Challenge. This year the challenge heads to Noli, Italy on 2 October and entries have already started to come in.

Noli, a well-known seaside resort in the province of Savona in Italy’s north-west (near Genoa), will be setting a first in this event. This is the first time the “Aviron de Mer International Regatta” will take place outside of France.

?We’re expecting rowers to come from more than 10 nations; Italy, France and Switzerland have already signed up, while Spain, Tunisia, Great Britain and Monaco, together with some other countries, are going to add soon,? says organiser Marco Callai.

The crews will compete in three categories: juniors, seniors and masters and boat types include singles, doubles and coxed quads.

As in compliance with the new FISA regulations, the regatta field will consist of a triangular path of six km in front of Noli’s beach. Senior crews will cover two laps, for a total length of 12 km, while the other categories will run just one, six km, lap.

Spectators will be able to follow the races by standing on the promenade in front of the regatta field, along the seashore or on the beach.

The regatta will start on Sunday 2 October, 2005 at 9.00 a.m., but the programme begins on the Saturday including an international fixed seat rowing regatta.

This regatta takes place under the backing of FISA and has been formally planned by the Italian Rowing Federation, FIC, with the co-operation of the Italian Rowing Federation’s fixed seat division, FICsf and Equipe Italia, which is a new organisation, founded in Turin to promote sea rowing.

Previous challenges have taken place in Brest 2001, Cannes 2002, Martinique 2003 and La Grande Motte 2004.

For more information go to: http://www.fisa.org/events/report.sps?iEventID=18469&categoryid=60  or consult the event’s official internet site: http://noli2005.ficsf.it/  or contact: noli2005@ficsf.it

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