ROWING: ONE OF the major good news stories in Irish rowing for the year ahead will be the development of an international-class rowing course on Lough Rinn in Co Leitrim.
Behind-the-scenes work on the project has been steaming ahead, and this week it emerged tenders for laying of an eight-lane course could be sought within weeks and the venue may be ready by next May. A test event is likely to be run in the summer.
The Carrick-on-Shannon club, which has been working with Leitrim Co Council on the development, has been in touch with world governing body Fisa with the aim of ensuring everything is done so the facility is developed properly.
The venue will have the considerable advantage of being under the control of the county council, and the existing caravan park will be developed to provide showering and toilet facilities for competitors and a boat-rack area.
In addition to the Albano-buoyed course, a new slipping area, start, and a finish tower have to be constructed. The finish tower may not be a permanent structure.
The bulk of the funding for the project will come from Fáilte Ireland.
New sources of funding for rowing are certainly welcome – last month’s bulletin from the board of Rowing Ireland pointed out that the total government grants required to support high performance and core operations “represent approximately 76 per cent of the total income required to run the sport”. The board calls this dependence “a risk” in the current climate and vows to address it in the year ahead.
One man who is voluntarily embracing risk next year is Aodhan Kelly. On December 29th the Dubliner will fly to Africa with his team-mates to prepare for a world-record attempt. The six-man crew of the Sara G plan to set off from Tarfaya in Morocco on January 2nd with the aim of rowing to Port St Charles in Barbados. They are intent on rowing the Atlantic in under 30 days.
The challenge has been named the Atlantic Odyssey, and while it is under the guidance of veteran ocean rower Matt Craughwell it is a severe and dangerous test. Kelly said yesterday he has been so busy “running around fundraising and organising things” that he has not had the time to be nervous.
The adaptive rowing team may provide another highlight come the Paralympic Games in August/September.
The World Rowing Magazinethis month provides a nice profile of the legs, trunk and arms mixed coxed four crew.
