Lake Maggiore

We flew to Lake Maggiore for the European Fixed Seat Rowing competition. An early start, leaving Maldon at 5.30, but we were able take our time through passport and safety checs without any stress. The flight was with Ryan Air, but plenty of legroom and a comfortable trip, passing the Swiss Alps, with a great view of the snow covered peaks.

In Italy we met up with several other friendly crew from Wales, Raine, Cornwall, Netherlands and South Thames and shared the coach. Our accommodation was provided free and was the Police Penitentiary only 10 mins walk from the lake. 4 sharing a room but cool, comfortable and ideal for our stay.

The Jolly and Gallione boats were available for us to practice with so after a brief lunch, and a several swims, to cool off, we went out on the beautiful water. Beautiful blue water surrounded by mountains. It could not have been more perfect.  The Jolly was a challenge, as my stretcher came loose, so I had to use the side wood. Also it took a while to get used to the boat, as Liz was a bit nervous about tipping in with no life jackets.  It was less stable than our Harkers Yard boats, and we were sliding on the seats, which caused some bum blisters and boat wabble, but we soon worked together as a crew to keep the boat stable. Tish, our Cox, was a physio with decades of experience, so had excellent advice on posture and row techniques. 

The Gallione was a different challenge completely! The oars were extremely heavy and cumbersome - it was harder to lift them out of the water, than to plough them through the water. My oar twisted more than once, so I had great difficulty manoeuvring it to keep in time. Fortunately we persevered and, working together, we got a system in place and a plan for the heats tomorrow. After a hearty tuna steak meal, and lots of chatting in preparation for the heats, we turned in for a peaceful night's sleep at the Penitentiary.