Vogalonga

The Vogalonga rowing race goes around islands of Venice, Murano, Burano, and many others. This year is the 44th anniversary of the very first Vogalonga, which was born both as a beautiful way to spend a Sunday and as a protest against the "moto ondoso", or waves created by motorboats that are wearing away at the homes and wall of Venice. Coach Enzo rowed in 17 of them (including a memorable occasion where he was without an oarlock...) and has coxed in another 5 editions.

Roughly 30 kilometers long, it is non-competitive and involves 2000 boats, 8000 rowers, paddlers, standing Venetian-style oarsmen and women, in boats ranging from kayaks to 40-strong patriarch's vessels. The only way to truly enjoy this race is in fact from the boats themselves, as there is no one body of land from which you can witness more than about 500 meters of the race. (Of course, there is much to be said about taking cocktails at one of the glamorous hotels that have waterfront near the finish line!)

Our trip will begin 7 days before the race. We'll spend 5 days in Tuscany at our home base, preparing for the big day, trying out line-ups, and prepping ourselves and the boats. We'll explore some of the must-see spots in Tuscany such as rowing in Florence and walking around the walls of Lucca, but our main focus is of course the Vogalonga. Thursday we'll load the boats onto the trailer and while us coaches drive the trailer north, you will go ahead by train to Venice. We'll spend the next couple of days enjoying Venice and Lido, getting acclimated and going for a test row. Our trip ends after the race, where you can head back to the hotel for an extra night, or take off to your next destination.

This is truly an experience not to be missed! For any rower this is Henley, the Charles, and the New York Marathon all mixed into a pastry treat with the beauty and romance of Italy drizzled onto the top.