2009 World Outgames – Day 5
Rower’s hump day! Before everyone’s sensibility is completely twisted in translation, hump day is an American cliché that refers to the middle of the workweek. With two rowing events still to go, most of us still have some races to row.
Today is the inrigger 1000m sprint races, held at the Danske Studenters Roklub in the northern end of Copenhagen harbor. The sun is out and the weather is mild – perfect for rowing. The inrigger races are being held separate from the racing shell sprints due to logistic and time constraints. Each wooden inrigger boat weighs around 200 pounds (91 kg), and since there were only entries for two events, it didn’t make sense to move the boats all the way to Lake Bagsvaerd. Given the weight, the boats need trailers and ramps to move, launch, and recover – even more equipment than a regular trailer load. The oars are the normal sweep hatchet blades. Of course, since the boats aren’t racing shells, their time on the course is much longer.
The two events are the men’s open 4+ and the women’s open 4+. Both were direct to final with four entries for the men and two entries for the women. The events came about due to a programming error in the Outgames central reservation system. However, the inrigger class afforded the more inexperienced crews an opportunity to compete in the regatta. The men’s race was close and the women’s event showed some open water but were still hard fought. The racecourse was in a protected breakwater marina along the Kalkbraendenrilobskaj provided flat-water conditions.
Following the sprint races, rowers who had signed up were formed composite boats to compete in several friendship races. Finally, everyone jumped in the coxed pairs and coxed fours for the harbor canal transit to the Head of the Harbor race location in front of the Danish Royal Library in downtown Copenhagen. Many of the rowers discovered the Danish tradition of switching crews while rowing: cox to port, port to starboard, and starboard to cox. It was an initiation to maneuver in a pitching boat with large waves in the middle of the open harbor. Along the way, crews were taken on sightseeing side trips to the Little Mermaid, and down the canals of Christianshavn . Picturesque is the word here and see these pics !
You have to love the Danes. They tie a social aspect into everything. When the crews arrived at the staging area at the SAS Roklub , drinks and sandwiches were waiting. By now, the Aussies, the Germans, the Dutch, the French, the Canadians, and the Americans were all getting connected, and some new romances were obviously blossoming among the Danes and the visiting rowers …
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