Rowing



Rowing at Elba tells us about a loved sport that has been played since postwar period in Elba gulfs, where several teams of Elbans clubs practiced for annual rowing competitions, every village had their own boat race and it was represented by a team of young boys who had been practiced the whole year for the special occasion.

For a period of time rowing was put aside because of the interest in new and trendy water sports, but it has been recently rediscovered by young elbans who love training surrounded by nature and sea. During summertime it will be possible to watch rowing races at Marina di Campo, Procchio, outside Marciana Marina and during the Festa dell’Innamorata at Capoliveri.

In the past there were great Elban rowers , such as Donato Calisi from Campo, Italian and European champion, who decided not to go to Tokyo Olympic Games in 1964 because he couldn’t afford the trip as he was a fisherman at the time and sports wasn’t very profitable. During his military service in the Navy he stood out for his athletic ability competing and winning several national rowing championships.

Nowadays thanks to the renewed interest in rowing , Elba claims important fixed seat rowing athletes , we like to mention Porto Azzurro team , junior Italian champion for two years in a row. The female team of Marciana marina, aka little mice, have been Italian champions of fixed seat rowing for four years in a row.

For those who want to go for a rowing tour at Elba there’s the chance to rent one straight at the beach or at one of the many rent places, or at sailing clubs that often offer canoes for rent. You could sail along the Elba coast and discover caves,bays and even isolated beaches that can be reached only by sea.

Curiosity about rowing

This fascinating sport finds its perfect location in the calm waters of Elba gulfs . rowing roots are lost in the mists of time , Egyptian decorations from 2600 BC already showed scenes of rowing and in the ancient Greece, during the Isthmian and Panathenaic games it was already regarded as one of the most important and fascinating sports. De Coubertin, father of modern Olympic games, put it in the official games giving this sport international recognition.

Rowing is extremely tied with the kind of boat used, and the boat will also determine the kind of row , for example if we decided to try the K-boat (known as kayak) we would deal with a semi closed boat created to have just one person as a driver. It’s guided by a paddle , a sort of oar with a blade on each side.

If we wanted to go rowing in couple we would use a C –boat (known as Canadian). It’s usually 5 metres long, made with wood or other materials such as Kevlar, and it calls for an oar with one blade for each canoeist.

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