stories / FISA Veterans Regattas 1991–2006
by Norman A. Thetford
1. Some Like it Hot! – Miami, FL 1991
2. Back in Europe – Cologne 1992
3. Vienna 1993
4. Budapest 1996
5. Downunder! Australia 1997
6. Seville, Spain 1999
7. Hazewinkel, Belgium 2000
8. Montreal, Canada 2001
9. Prague, Czech Republic 2002
10. Vichy, France 2003
11. Hamburg, Germany 2004
12. Strathclyde, Scotland 2005
13. Princeton, NJ 2006
1. Some Like it Hot! – Miami, FL 1991
For the first time in its history, the FISA Veterans regatta was held in the United States, in Miami, Florida. To accommodate the European vacation schedule, it was held at the end of August, one of the hottest times of the year in southern Florida. The venue, however, was ideal for the spectators. It was based in the Marine Stadium lagoon on Virginia Key, and the viewing stands were protected by a huge cantilevered roof that provided protection from the sun while providing an unobstructed view of the entire course. The Miami Rowing Club had their clubhouse 100 meters to the south with a big swimming pool next to it —a first in rowing clubs!
Attendance in Miami was down considerably from the usual numbers since many of the European clubs did not come. The ones that did come were serious! After the US clubs, the Germans and the Brits were next in numbers, and the Germans shipped many of their shells (mostly Empachers) over in a big container. They came to race!
To minimize disruption from the usual afternoon thunderstorms, which were prevalent at that time of year, the racing began at 7:00am and ended each day between 3:00pm and 4:00pm. New Haven had 26 rowers and a number of family members in attendance, and competed in 20 races, winning two, finishing second in seven, third in five and fourth or more in five, not our best performance! It is likely that the heat was a factor, although it should have affected all crews equally, except, perhaps, the southern crews that were more used to it. We also had the best of the European crews there as well.
2. Back in Europe – Cologne 1992
After a somewhat lower turnout in Miami, the Europeans came out in force for the 19th FISA Veterans regatta in Cologne. There were over 2,000 competitors and 6,500 seats racing, making it the largest regatta in the world! The fine course at Cologne was up to it, with wide lanes, overhead markers every 250 meters, static refereeing, and a bubble line at the finish in case you didn’t hear the horn!
Being the first FISA Veterans regatta in Europe since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, there were Russian rowers competing for the first time, as well as a small contingent from Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia. The Russian women were particularly formidable, and gave us a good race in the mixed eight. Having rowed at Prague in 1983 and Bled in 1986, it was nice to see familiar faces and make new acquaintances with crews from those areas, but sad to discuss the disintegration of society and the destruction of property in places where we had once rowed and travelled.
One significant problem was that both Norman Thetford and Gordon Kuster came down with some sort of intestinal bug that affected their racing on Friday and prevented it on Saturday. Fortunately, they had recovered by Sunday and won a gold medal in the mixed eight with four women from Conibear RC. These ladies were thrilled at rowing with us—they had never raced at 40 strokes per minute!
Overall, we had two first-place, four second-place, one third-place, and seven fourth-place finishes for the regatta—a sign of how good the competition is getting!
One other downside was the Saturday night banquet/dance. The food was good, the beer plentiful and the music fine, but either there were too few waiters or else there were problems in the food preparation process because some people were still waiting for food to be served at 1:00am! They should have talked to the Scots who put on the great banquet in 1988, when they served 1,000 diners in ten minutes!
3. Vienna 1993
After a somewhat disappointing performance in the Cologne regatta, we had higher hopes for the regatta in Vienna, tempered, to some degree, by the fact that we had started construction on our new boathouse, which severely limited our rowing time. As it turned out, we did not win any medals this year, and only finished second five times out of 16 races. The banquet, however, was a much bigger success than in Cologne. The organizers were aware of what happened there, and were prepared with multiple buffet tables and plenty of food and drink. No one went hungry!
To compensate for our mediocre rowing performance, we fully enjoyed what Vienna had to offer, and attended an opera (L’Eliser d’Amore), a concert in the Musikverein (where the famous New Year’s Day concerts are held), and visited various museums and other attractions. Several of us stayed on in Vienna after the regatta was over to see more of the sights.
The construction of the boathouse took a significant toll on our time to row and thus our competitiveness. As a result, we did not attend another FISA regatta until 1996 (Hungary) so we could finish the boathouse and get back into good rowing shape.
4. Budapest 1996
New Haven did not send rowers to Groningen, Holland in 1994 or Bled, Slovenia in 1995 because we were totally consumed in building the boathouse and did not have enough time, energy or money! By 1996, however, we were ready to get back on the international rowing circuit.
The 1996 FISA Veterans regatta was awarded to Hungary in honor of the 1100th anniversary of the founding of Hungary in the year 896. Archeologists have estimated that what is now Hungary was occupied by various groups for over 500,000 years! There was certainly a wide variety of architecture in the city of Budapest, some of it dating back to Roman times.
Our rowing group this year was significantly diminished due to last-minute health issues in several of our usual rowers, so we had to recruit rowers and a cox from other clubs to fill out half of the boats that had been entered. Even though we had been training hard after the completion of the boathouse, we still managed only two gold medals, in the E4+, for which we recruited a young teenager, Judit Meszaros (1), from the local club to cox us, and in the E2-. We had to scratch two events and ended up garnering one second place, four third place, and six fourth place finishes; not great but not too bad considering the circumstances.
(1) Judit is now a FISA referee, following in her father’s footsteps, and we now see her at just about every FISA regatta we attend.
5. Downunder! Australia 1997
Given the location, attendance at the 1997 FISA regatta in Adelaide, Australia, was much lower than normal: only six rowers with spouses/significant others, and one two-year old child, Jessie.
We left New York on Saturday, November 1, and flew nonstop to Sydney (18.5 hours flying), arriving on Monday, November 3. After a five-hour nap at a local hotel, we flew to Adelaide, and then on to Coober Pedy, a small desert opal mining town in the outback. Had a dinner including a taste of kangaroo, and stayed in the famous underground hotel.
Coober Pedy was a fascinating place: 80% of the residents lived underground in “dugouts” to avoid the searing sun and high temperatures, which can reach 120°F. Most of the structures above ground were small clusters of shacks, opal shops, and the supermarkets. The mines were just holes in the ground, and abandoned mines often had no signs warning of their presence. If you stood in the desolate scrub and sand desert you would see a few holes in the ground and general warning signs saying, “Beware!, Don’t Run! or Don’t back up!” Nearby, we saw a section of the “Dog Fence,” some 5600 km long, that was built in 1885 in South Australia to keep the dingos away from the sheep and cattle (2).
Back in Adelaide for the Regatta, our hotel was right on the course, and was the center of many cocktail hours after each day’s practice or race. The regatta was smaller than usual but the competition was good, and no one got a gold medal; but we all had a glorious time! The area was like South Florida with blue water, hot temps and beautiful flowers. We took a side trip to Kangaroo Island, visited a eucalyptus farm, habitats of kangaroo and emu families, a great beach covered with lots of sea lions and fur seals, and the remarkable Admiral’s Arch rock.
After our side trip, we returned to Adelaide and celebrated Don Chartier’s 64th birthday with the Hailands, the Chartiers, the Bracketts, the Offchiss’ (including their 2 year old) and Rick Dyer and his friend Sam McKee. The regatta banquet was a bust. It was held in a mall and the tickets only entitled us to $5 worth of food at the food court. We left early.
After the regatta, we flew to Townsend, the city where we began our Great Barrier Reef cruise. We were joined on the 40-person boat Coral Princess by Don, Helma, Ed, Cindi and Jesse. The five-day trip was superb. Wonderful fresh fish and tropical fruit, plenty of spirits, comfortable accommodations, noisy, but lovable little kid and lots of adventure. We scuba-dived and snorkeled, we met huge, 2-4 ft long, friendly multicolored fish nose to nose! We swam very close (“but do not touch!”) to the indescribably beautiful living Great Barrier Reef, we saw coral galore, populated by colorful (pink, blue, purple and green!) parrot fish, angel fish. We visited remote almost deserted lush islands where only one or two buildings were evident.
On Dunk Island we sat on the heartbreakingly lovely beaches at sunset with strawberry daiquiris and forgot rowing for a while. We took a glass bottom boat to one empty island and were treated to a bar-b-que of crocodile meat, kangaroo, sausage, steak, onions, shrimp, salads and the most wonderful fruit imaginable. (mango, star fruit, papaya, kiwi, pineapple, melon, grapes and more). As we traveled the sea to our destination at Cairnes past the Thetford Reef we were led by dozens of porpoises playing off our bow.
From Cairnes, the Chartiers and Walshes were driven to an eco-lodge for a five day stay in raised cabins overlooking a paradise of green forests and blue waters. Nearby, at Desolation Bay, Captain Cook moored his stricken ship in the 1800’s. We took a night river cruise on the Daintree River with four other people and a tipsy boatman who wanted to bring along his pet 5 ft long snake. We insisted the snake be left behind and motored into a dark winding tropical river. The driver shone a strong searchlight into the eyes of lurking crocodiles. They stared at us unblinkingly contemplating the mere one-foot freeboard of our launch. Giant fruit bats dove from one side of the river hitting the water at speed, picking up their bug dinners and screeching up to their loft in a tree at the other side.
Very entertaining, but we were happy to get back on dry land at midnight! Baxter went horseback riding along a lonely stretch of beach on a tour that was supposed to be for beginners. His horse should have been named Seabuscuit. He had not received the memo about “beginners,” and Baxter bounced along for about an hour before he cried Uncle and limped back to the jungle house.
Leaving the eco-lodge, we flew to Alice Springs, the city in the center of the continent, far into the outback where the single trading trail crossed the land. When it was first used camels were the vehicle of choice. Now, camels are passé and wild camels wander about. There was a man in a music store who was practicing his Digeridoo, a 5 ft long bamboo pole that when blown through with the right force and vigor produces an eerie howling sound loved by the Aussies.
We then flew on to Ayers Rock where we walked the circumference but not to the summit. The summit was closed due to high (100+°F) temperatures. A thoroughly wondrous place with its Aborigines and Dream drawings. We returned to Sydney and spent two days with Colin Bullard and Dick Stewart, two Aussie rowers who were known well at NHRC. Colin took us for a tour around Sydney and the newly built Olympic venue in his helicopter. We stayed in a converted jail along the Sydney shore, visited the famous Opera House, and sailed under the wonderful towering bridge over Sydney Harbor in a mock Pirate Vessel manned with bloodthirsty one-eyed sailors! We had a great time on this trip and would not have had the opportunity if it were not for NHRC and its adventurous crew!
(2) It was originally built to keep out rabbits carrying a plague, but was later increased in height to six feet to prevent the dingos from crossing.
6. Seville, Spain 1999
NHRC skipped going to Munich in 1998 but turned out in force for the regatta in Seville, Spain in 1999. We had 27 rowers and significant others and competed in 21 events, both men and women. We also teamed up with some rowers from Norwalk River RC in a couple of older age category events. As usual, we worked in some tourist stops, both before and after the main event. One group flew into Madrid, rented a car and drove to Toledo where they stayed in a Spanish parador3. From there, they were able to do side trips to key sites, such as El Escorial and the Valley of the Fallen. Then they took the AVE4 train to Seville, which took about two and a half hours, including stops, for the 390km (242 miles).
Our hotel in Seville was within walking distance of the course, which was a very nice feature, and all the interesting tourist sites were an easy taxi ride or public transport ride as well – no need to rent a car. The course was located on the Guadalquivir River and the finish line was close to the famous Puente del Alamillo bridge, a unique cantilever spar, cable-stayed bridge. The course was up to FISA standards and we were able to rent boats from our friend, Laurent Pascual, the head of the Vega boat manufacturer in Europe.
The post-regatta party was unusual in that it was in an amusement park! In addition to food, our ticket allowed us to take advantage of the various rides and shows that were going on.
After the regatta, some of us had to return home but others extended their trip to visit places like Granada and Gibraltar. An interesting trip!
A parador is a type of luxury hotel, usually in a converted historic building, such as a monastery or castle. 4 Alta Velocidad Española = Spanish High Speed. The trains can reach speeds of 310 Km/hr (193 mph).
7. Hazewinkel, Belgium 2000
The only members of NHRC who went to the 2000 FISA regatta in Belgium were Norm Thetford and Rick Dyer. In addition to their usual pair, they joined up with other clubs to row in several additional races. It was nice to see familiar friends from previous years, but they missed the usual contingent of NHRC rowers and spouses. The main item of note was that there was torrential rain, totally nearly six inches, on Friday, leading to very muddy conditions. Despite the rain, and an occasional thunderstorm, the races ran on schedule (every three minutes) the whole time!
8. FISA Montreal, Canada 2001
For the first time since Miami in 1991, we were able to have our own boats at a FISA regatta, which was a big improvement over renting boats! We had a full contingent of rowers and spouses, totaling 39, including some who had never been to an international FISA regatta before. NHRC had 36 entries in separate men’s and women’s categories as well as several mixed entries on the last day. As might be expected, being in North America resulted in more than 110 US crews attending, including a number from the West coast, such as Los Gatos, Long Beach, San Diego and Portland rowing clubs. Clubs from the US entered 1248 boats (48% of the total entries!); Canada was a distant second at 528 entries, followed by Germany with 191 entries. Racing was on three-minute centers, starting at 7:00am and going until 6:30pm on both days, with no breaks!
9. Prague, Czech Republic 2002
After the large numbers in Montreal the previous year, we only had five planning to go to race at the new international course in Račice, a suburb of Prague: Norman, Rick, Larry Sweet, Anne Boucher and Brian Calandro. Entries were due by mid-July and we submitted a total of eight, expecting to have a small, but competitive group. Weather, however, changed everything!
Two low pressure systems channeled warm, moist Mediterranean air over central Europe in mid-August, resulting in a week of continuous, very heavy rain. That caused major rivers, such as the Elbe and the Vltava to rise to catastrophic flood levels not seen in over 100 years. Prague sustained major damages, with its metro system flooded, most of the old city portion underwater, and severe damage to Prague’s famous Pneumatic Post (5) system.
With the regatta only two weeks away and rumors of disease spreading due to the flooding, large numbers of rowers from all over Europe and the US began to bail out. Rick and Norm were the only two who ventured to go from our club. Once we arrived, we teamed up with the remnants of other US clubs, and put together as many crews as possible to use the existing entries. It was a bit chaotic, but every one made the best of it!
One thing we noticed was that all the young people now spoke English, since it had been about 13 years since the Velvet Revolution (6) that ended mandatory Russian language in the schools; now it was English!
Rick and Norm did visit a few areas of Prague, which had recovered in large part by mid-September, but evidence of the flooding was still present in piles of debris and water marks higher than we were!
(5) The world's last preserved municipal pneumatic post system. It is an underground system of metal tubes under the wider center of Prague, totaling about 55 km (34 mi) in length. It started service in 1889.
(6) The Velvet Revolution was a non-violent transition of power in what was then Czechoslovakia, occurring from 17 November to 29 December 1989.
10. Vichy, France 2003
On our second trip to Vichy for the FISA regatta, we improved on a number of items: we had 33% more members attending; we had a member (Iain Makay), fluent in French, who focused (due to injury) solely on finding good restaurants; and we stayed in a much better hotel than in 1989! In the case of the hotel, Norman had received so much flack about the hotel at our previous trip to Vichy that he made a special trip in November 2002 to scope out the best hotels, and was able to make group reservations at an attractive rate. Everybody was happy!
Due to the larger number of club members, we had 34 entries this year: three eights, seven quads, three straight fours, two coxed fours, ten doubles, two pairs, and seven singles, although several had to be scratched because of Iain’s injury. Six of the events were in the mixed category (four doubles and two quads), and ten were women only (an eight, three quads, four doubles, one pair and one single) – a sign of how much larger the women’s component of FISA has grown.
The competition seems to get better each year, but the club earned four gold medals this year: Lucy and Helma in their G2x (age 67), Evelyn and Anne in their C2- (age 46), Bob Wetmore and Anne in their MxD2x (age 51), and Evelyn, Bob, Anne and Brian in the MxC4x (age 47). Baxter came close (2nd) in his G1x (age 68) and Rick finished 3rd in his G1x (age 66), but the other eights, fours, quads and doubles were out of contention. We will have to train harder if we want to win in Hamburg next year!
11. Hamburg, Germany 2004
After the large turnout for the FISA regatta in Vichy in 2003, the number of NHRC members going to Hamburg in 2004 dropped by over 50%! As a result, we had to find rowers from other clubs (Belfast RC, Denver BC, and Syracuse RA) to make up several eights and fours. The Hamburg FISA regatta was also the first time that races started on a Thursday due to the large number of expected entries. Needless to say, trying to put winning boats together at the last minute is not a recipe for success, and no one won any medals this year. On the bright side, the beer was great!
12. Strathclyde, Scotland 2005
After all the stories about the fantastic banquet at the FISA regatta in 1988, there was a lot of interest in going to this regatta in 2005. We had 21 rowers and seven spouses/significant others, plus we teamed up with a few rowers from other clubs to fill out certain boats, especially in the older age groups. We had a total of 30 entries over the three days.(7) To offset the higher cost of being in the UK, we arranged to stay at the University of Strathclyde in self-catering flats, each holding six people. It was reasonably close to the rowing venue, less than half the cost of staying in a hotel, and had the benefit of a kitchen! We all had a great time there.
The racing, though, was another matter. The weather turned miserable, although the Scots thought it was normal. The temperature dropped into the 40s, it started drizzling, and the wind picked up. The FISA official at the start had difficulty getting the boats aligned on the starting platforms and races got progressively later than scheduled; as much as 60 minutes by late morning. That was unheard of at a FISA regatta! Rowers started delaying their departure from the launching docks so they would not have to wait in cold, wet conditions for an extra hour, which was understandable, but risky. The FISA officials then put a seasoned veteran in at the start, and he began running races with floating starts on two-minute centers and got back on schedule within two hours. The end result was that about half the rowers missed their races because they were planning on a long delay, which didn’t happen.
Many of us signed up for the special banquet, which was billed as similar to the famous one in 1988. While it was very nice, the food was good, and most people dressed up, it did not have the pomp and circumstance that the earlier banquet had, e.g., no haggis ceremony with bagpipers and no sides of Angus beef.
A number of us stayed on in the UK to do some touring, which is always a nice fringe benefit after attending a FISA regatta.
(7) FISA went back to a three-day format after Hamburg since the numbers didn’t require four days.
13. Princeton, NJ 2006
For the first time since 1991, the FISA regatta was in the continental US, and fairly close for us in Connecticut. We came out in force, with 43 rowers and another dozen or so spouses/significant others – the largest turnout since our FISA regatta in Sweden in 1987! We had 53 entries in just about all age categories and all boat types. The competition was good, the weather was perfect, and the course was in good condition. Unfortunately, PowerHouse Timing, who handled the timing and reported the results on their website, has gone out of business, taking the results with them, so we don’t have access to how our club did as a whole.