Review: A Coastal Rowing Workshop at Lake Constance on September 9th and 10th, 2023. The course was well attended with participants from Austria, Switzerland and Germany. The workshop was offered by Rowing in Europe GmbH and the coaches Isa and Volker. A conclusion first: In short: absolute enthusiasm for coastal rowing. Read the original report by Ute Simma here:

A pleasant 19°C awaited us when we arrived early in the morning. The lake and the Seerhein were still calm at this point and you couldn’t really imagine how wavy it would get over the course of the day.

Theoretical Background

First, the workshop started with a theoretical part in which information about boat material, technology, dealing with waves, wind and weather, navigation, safety instructions and much more was conveyed.

Illustrative material

The FISA boat classes were discussed. The entire theoretical part was extremely entertaining. Almost everything was supported with images and video material. You could immediately see the excitement and joy in the eyes of the participants. They realized what made coastal rowing so fascinating.

Meanwhile, from the seminar room you could watch the Seerhein becoming more and more restless as ship traffic increased. At the time, it was hard to imagine that you could row there and feel safe and comfortable at the same time.

Water work

Then we went on the water. Participants could choose to go solo or as a pair. The first few hundred meters were a bit unusual and quite shaky over the water, which had become really wild before and after the bridge to the Seerhein. It quickly became clear. These boats are great. Stable and fast. A little heavier but works perfectly in the water.

Off to the beach

The crews met in a good mood after the first few coastal kilometers of rowing in Smugglers’ Bay and practiced getting in and out of the boat. Without bridge. They probably call it beach starts.

On the second day we continued with rowing technique. Among other things, various quick turning techniques were rowed around piles and zigzag courses.

All participants quickly found their way around the conditions and the boat material. Of course, the many years of experience as a “flat water” rower came in handy. Said Ute Simma from Bregenz: “Thanks to the stable water position and the robust construction of the boats, we felt really comfortable and had a lot of fun. We had two wonderful days in bright sunshine in Konstanz. We recognized the added value of coastal rowing and can highly recommend it.”

Rowing in Europe performs Workshops in German, English and  Italian languages.