Showing posts with label buenos aires. Show all posts
Showing posts with label buenos aires. Show all posts

Friday, 28 January 2011

Moonlight rowing in Argentina

Alberto Villa of the Tigre City Rowing Club in Argentina has sent a video showing a moonlight row on the delta. It looks idyllic.
In England, we rarely get the chance to row in the dark. In summer, sundown is so late that any evening row is always in the dusk. In winter, it is too cold to row after dark. In the tropics, the night falls so early and it is so hot, a moonlit row becomes a very practical and attractive proposition.
The video is on Alberto's blog Remo de travesía. For those of you whose Spanish is 'rusty', like me, I attach a rough translation (thanks, Google Translate!).

The members of the Tigre City Rowing Club, Buenos Aires, Argentina, have continued the local tradition of paddling in the light of the moon, especially the full moon, and a couple of witnesses who documented the ride sent us pictures to share with you.
Here is a short video that one of the guests shot at the launch [Thanks Alex!] and a prior photo [thanks AAV]. The images show the launch of a boat and waiting for another off the ramp on the Rio Tigre club on Friday January 21, 2011.
In the picture the moments before the launch of some boats and the preparation of others, safety is always important but the risk increases at night, but the moon is full and the sky is clear, and the river is smooth.

Saturday, 11 December 2010

Pleasure in Rowing in Buenos Aires, despite Everything

Robert Ayliffe of Norwalk Island Sharpies in Australia, who handles the designs of Iain Oughtred and Alec Jordan's kits down under, visited Buenos Aires recently and went for a boat trip on the River Plate. He was very impressed with the number of lovely wooden rowing skiffs being taken out by families, and even more impressed by the conditions they had to battle to get out on a river that seems to be a watery version of the M25.
Here is Robert's report (click the pictures to enlarge):

These are some of the boats that I saw in the River Plate Delta on the outskirts of Buenos Aires early last week. Could not believe my eyes! 
There are hundreds of [Iain Oughtred's skiff design] Badger lookalikes complete with sliding seats for public hire on this amazingly turbulent, highly trafficked water way.
Bullfighting has nothing on this; it is a tribute to the type that they survive at all!
Note the vessels that they coexist with.
Note the extensive use of buoyancy vests.
Argentineans fear nothing!
I love them!
Amazingly similar to Badgers and Moles, here is just one of the hire fleets; at first I thought I was dreaming!
I could not believe the aplomb and resilience of these boats and their crews in the face of such wild turbulence. They just rose over the wash, barely moving off course.
Wonderful to watch. Made me feel even more enthusiastic about recommending Iain Oughtred's Badger and Mole designs design to my fellow antipodeans. We have several of Alec Jordan's excellent kits of these boats being built in Australia and New Zealand.
My company acts as Iain's and Alec's agent in Australia and the Pacific.
A new web site is being built: straydogboatworks.com , which will incorporate NISBOATS and the Jordan/Oughtred range.

Thanks, Robert. This is my favourite picture. Clearly, young men take their girls out on the River Plate just as they do on the River Thames.