2 June 2023
By Tim Koch
Tim Koch has just returned from taking part in the 47th Vogalonga or “Long Row”, the 30 km non-competitive rowing, sculling and paddling event around the Venetian lagoon, a protest over the damage that motorised craft do to the city. His report on this will follow in the last part of this three-part Venetian Diary.
Coincidently or not, Venice, the most beautiful city in the world, also has over four hundred of the most beautiful rowing boats in the world, the city’s Gondolas. Not surprisingly, I think this is worthy of a post heavy on pictures and light on text.
Part II will be published on Monday, 5 June 2023.
Hear The Boat Sing 
Hello Tim, we were in touch recently about that photograph of the “hairy” 1988 GDR female rowing champions. I rowed the Vogalonga too! Had I known you were there, I would have attempted to meet! 😉 I rowed with a mixed crew of various northern German rowing club members in a church boat that belongs to the rowing club Tegel (Berlin), and it was a perfectly big-sized boat to master all the waves and abundance of boats in the narrow strips. What an unforgettable experience, to be renewed. I also met a Venetian rower of the Unione Sportiva Remiera Francescana and am invited to take lessons, which I absolutely am planning to do. What boat did you row in? Regards, Sabine (from Potsdam, Germany)
Hi Sabine,
Sorry I missed you! My boat this year was the same as 2022, a HTBS report of which is here: https://heartheboatsing.com/2022/06/16/vogalonga-che-bella-cosa/
HTBS has written about Swedish Church Boats before: https://heartheboatsing.com/tag/church-boats/ Are German ones the same?
Good luck with rowing standing up.
Best wishes,
Tim