Near-perfect conditions greeted the 450聽rowers, from 24 nations, who gathered for the 2018 FISA world coastal rowing championships off Sidney鈥檚 Tulista Park.
The thing is, many coastal racers revel in the challenge of wind and choppy swells. That鈥檚 the sort of athlete who is drawn to this sport, which has been described as the mountain biking of rowing. But the sea always provides a challenge, even in placid conditions.
鈥淭he coastal rowers found the current between Sidney and James Island to be tricky to navigate, and that was a challenge for them,鈥� said Brenda Taylor, race director and co-chairwoman of the world championships organizing committee.
The event has received raves from the competitors from around the world.
鈥淲e鈥檝e had a great response,鈥� Taylor said.
And all this on a tidy organizing budget of $200,000, considered miniscule by the standards of world championships in other sports.
鈥淚t was tight,鈥� Taylor said.
But it got the job done, as the A and B finals were held Saturday.
Coastal rowing is popular in Europe, but little-known in sa国际传媒, even in a rowing hotbed such as Greater Victoria, which has produced numerous Olympians. Taylor is part of that legacy and came out of Elk Lake to win two gold medals at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Still, few locally knew about rowing on open water and away from the shelter of Island lakes such as Elk, Shawnigan and Quamichan. This is the first time the world coastal championships have been held in North America.
鈥淲e started from zero. It was a steep learning curve,鈥� Taylor said. 鈥淐oastal rowing is very popular in Europe, especially France, Italy and Monaco, but it is just getting started in North America and FISA [the world governing body for rowing] wants to increase its profile here.鈥�
Toward that goal, the 48 coastal boats used in the world championships will be available for purchase by rowing clubs after the world championship regatta.
This year鈥檚 world coastal championships follow the 2017 world championships on Lake Geneva in Europe and are ahead of the 2019 event in Hong Kong. Past hosts have included Monaco and Istanbul. Greater Victoria beat out Shenzhen, China, for the 2018 championships.
Coastal rowing involves sculls racing from four to six kilometres in singles, doubles and coxed quad. The sculls are self-bailing and wider, heavier and more stable than regular rowing craft. Coastal rowing is not yet in the Olympics, but will make its debut in the Pan Am Games next year in Lima, Peru.
