CBRC: An International Rowing Club
After a week rowing down the Loire in 2007, we are invited to go rowing in Switzerland during the summer of 2008.
Lausanne Sport, a student rowing club, is organising a week of rowing on the Leman Lake from the 12th to the 20th of July 2008.
Rowers from the Rennes Etudiant Club Aviron (France) are also invited, so in total it will be a group of 15-to-20 people. After rowing on the longest French river
in 2007, we will row surrounded by beautiful mountains in 2008!
The week will probably organised like this:
- a couple of days on the Leman, if it is not too windy! Believe it or not it is as rough as open sea sometimes... We will stay in a campsite or in the rowing club.
- 3 days (2 nights) in the Valais area, 2 1-day hikes in the Val d'Hérens and a day a bit more focused on local culture. A day on top of
the 'Mayens de Mase' (5 hours up and down the side of the moutain!) and a day along the longest european dam, the 'Grande Dixence' (4 hours pretty flat). Nights will
be spent in the middle of nowhere at 1800m!
- 2 days (1 night) on two lakes: Thune Lake et Brienz Lake
in German Switzerland. The idea is to go there with a very large contigent, a lot more people from Lausanne would come with us for these 2 days.
This is the information currently available about the week in Switzerland which looks like it will be a lot of fun.
Do not forget the other two options:
- Régataïades, Nantes (France): 3rd-4th May 2008
- Coastal rowing race, Arcachon (France): 27-29th September 2008
2007 Trips
After a successful trip to Bordeaux (France) in 2005, some CBRC rowers have been travelling around in 2007. A few rowers of the club went to France during the summer to row down the Loire for a week and this autumn a couple of rowers went to Delft (Holland) for an unusual 2007-meter race and to Saint-Malo (France) for a coastal rowing event. A lot of travelling around for CBRC rowers this year and hopefully 2008 will be a good occasion to do it again.
Bristol's, Rennes' and Lausanne's rowers who rowed down the Loire - July 2007
Rowing down the Loire - Rennes (14th - 21st of July 2007) [website]
The Rennes Etudiants Club Aviron, a French students' rowing club, invited Bristol's and Lausanne's (Switzerland) rowers to row down the Loire in July 2007. 4 Bristolians took part in that adventure: the weather conditions were marvellous as you can expect from French weather! In a relaxed atmosphere, people from Rennes, Lausanne and Bristol rowed the Loire together in wide coxed quads (4x+) called yolettes. It was a great opportunity to speak about our different clubs' lives and national rowing experiences: CBRC rowers are used to rowing on the docks whereas Lausannois are used to rowing on the Leman Lake between the Alpes' mountains, Rennais sometimes row on the sea... We all compete in our own championships and have different social events.
Rennes's river, La Vilaine
During that week in France, CBRC's rowers also had the opportunity to try coastal rowing. In France, it is probably a bit different from what we are used to see in the UK (it is not like the Gigs on Bristol's docks). Sea rowing in France is a sport with national championships; in 2007, the first Clubs' World Coastal Rowing Championships in Cannes were also organised.
To correctly finish that amazing week in France, the REC Aviron organised a party for us in their boathouse. A bit of rowing on their river, a barbecue, music and some typically breton beverages were the essential elements to make a good party! That was the conclusion to a really good week. If you missed it in 2007, the REC Aviron plans to organise another week in 2008 in the Morbihan... the perfect opportunity to have a go at coastal rowing.
In France, it is always good to eat in a good restaurant
Pinnewood University Eights - Delft (22nd of September 2007) [website]
Rowing under the colours of Rennes and Lausanne a couple of CBRC rowers took part in the Pinewood University Eight regatta in Delft. It is a major student regatta where the top Dutch university crews compete. It was an opportunity to meet Rennes and Lausanne rowers again. A bit of rowing, some cheese, a lot of sunny weather, obviously some cycling around and a big party! That was a great weekend, the level of the competition really high but that was a good challenge.
Delft, the most beautiful town in Holland?
Bristolian Lauren at bow of the Lausanne's eight
Internationaux de France d'aviron de mer - Saint Malo (7th of October 2007) [website]
At the beginning of October, one CBRC rower took part in the Internationaux de France EDF d'aviron de mer: it is an open coastal rowing competition where international crews can join, usually people from Guernesey and Jersey take part. Because of an injury he ended up coxing the women's crew who won the event, and beat some mixed crews as well actually. Saint Malo is a beautiful place in the north of Brittany in France and is worth visiting (that is where Rennes's rowers practice coastal rowing). This open event could be attended by CBRC in the new few years, we now have French friends who might help us to enter!
French rowers in a coastal rowing boat
Want to get involved in CBRC international rowing events?
In 2008 CBRC's rowers can be involved in different events:
- Welcoming Moldavian rowers to Avon Gorge Head in January 2008
- Rowing in the Morbihan for a week during the summer 2008
- Open Internationaux de France d'aviron de mer (coastal rowing : 4x+) October 2008
Do you want to try sea rowing?
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