West Norfolk rowers enjoy Paris marathon
Nix Marston, Captain WNRC, organized the club to take part in an amazing adventure and writes:
“Two coxed quad crews from West Norfolk Rowing Club joined a thousand rowers on the river Seine at dawn to take on the 28km course of the Traversée de Paris. The spectacular annual event, being run for the 37th time saw well over 200 boats launching at Sèvres early on Sunday morning and gathering on the water before a mass start. Crews rowed into the centre of Paris, past iconic landmarks including the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and Notre Dame, and rounded the city centre islands to return to Sèvres.
For a few hours the usual busy motor traffic of tourist boats and barges were kept off the river, but it was still a challenge for coxes among all the other crews and navigating 33 bridges along the route. It was not a race, so coxes and rowers were able to swap places midstream during the course to allow everyone to take part, adding an entertaining challenge.
It was a fully international gathering, with crews from clubs across Europe & USA taking part, and able to rent boats from local clubs. WNRC chairman Simon Prior was one of the crew and said “This has been a great new experience for members of our club, and a spectacular event to be part of”.
