Experiences of German visitors to rowing friends in South Africa

(The original German version of this account is further down this post.)

The spectacular victory of the South African lightweight men’s four at the Olympics this year, who outclassed all favourites after a furious Sprint over the last 500m and took the gold medal, brought to the memory of the Rowing world the fact that there is still rowing of the highest order on the other side of the globe. The sport is dominated by English tradition, i.e. the 10 river clubs with about 500 active athletes compete essentially in 2000m Regattas. (competition rowing). The strength of the wider sport, especially in Germany grassroots (social or recreational rowing), however, plays a minor role in SA. In addition to the British influence over the sport, a lack of suitable waters near populated centres is certainly also a problem.

In 2006 through a Rowing Club Member working in South Africa, the Oldenburg Rowing Club was visited by five rowers of the Viking Rowing Club in Johannesburg. The Club is located on the Wemmer Pan, the Lake of an abandoned gold mine. On the diagonal, this Lake  allows 700 meter regattas. The daily rowing direction is always in a circle along the banks. Our visitors had previously through the participation in the rally Canal du MIDI tasted blood and just wanted “to row a few days in a straight line”. Together we rowed for a week on the Vltava and Elbe rivers, and since then four to six South Africans have come every summer to join us on week rowing tour of ORVO in Europe.

This year, we followed the often repeated invitation to South Africa. Our friends, now mostly retired, have left the juggernaut of Johannesburg in favor of safer and more beautiful places.