Four Rotterdam rowing clubs — RV Nautilus, KR&ZV De Maas, RV Rijnmond and Skadi — are joining forces in the Rotterdam Coastal Rowing Center (RCRC). The cooperation has been running informally for over a year: shared boat transport, joint training sessions for endurance and beach sprints, and a shared coxswain course. With the RCRC, that partnership now becomes official.
The Nieuwe Maas turns out to be a surprisingly good training ground: the wash from passing ships produces conditions that come close to rowing at sea. Crews also train regularly on open water at Hoek van Holland and Scheveningen, and compete in races in Katwijk and Bergen aan Zee, among others.
The timing is no coincidence. Beach Sprints will make their Olympic debut in Los Angeles in 2028, and the European Coastal Rowing Championships come to Harderwijk and Zeewolde in 2027.
The initiative will be presented during the Open Monumentendagen (Heritage Days) on Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 September at RV Nautilus on the Oude Plantage. Everyone is welcome between 10:00 and 17:00; there will be a Coastal Rowing Boat Show featuring the newest boats, and guided tours of the 1924 clubhouse between 11:00 and 16:00.