Row…. row… row … your surf boat
View(s):By David Stephens
The sport of surf boat racing is set to make a grand splash in the country, as the inaugural Surf Boat series, which will pit a number of talented and tenacious teams against each other, kicks off at Mount Lavinia beach today from 7.a.m.
Crews from Army, Navy, the University of Moratuwa, the Colombo Rowing Club and the neighbouring fishing community will be vying for the Mayor’s Trophy in the competition’s chief category, while past oarsmen from S. Thomas’ College and Royal College will also square off in a Surf Boat Roy-Tho.Last morning, a number of oarsmen gathered at Mount Lavinia beach, amidst swelteringly hot and humid conditions, to put themselves through a series of gruelling training sessions in final preparation for today’s event.
In the thick of the action was Thusitha Kumara, a local fisherman who will be leading one of the two fishing crews that will be competing today.
Crews for today’s competition hard at training. - Pic by Amila Gamage.
He says that although they are used to navigating the beach’s rough waves with their much larger and cumbersome fishing boats, the tournament boats pose a whole new set of challenges.
“Riding big fishing boats is completely different to these boats but we are practicing very hard,” he says. “A tournament like this will help the community by bringing in people to support us and the local businesses.”
Navy rowing coach, Amaradasa Minuwandeniyage, says that with most of his crew members possessing extensive experience in conventional rowing, making the switch to this alternate form of the sport, where a boat is crewed by a team of five including a cox, has demanded a large degree of technical tinkering.
“It’s quite tough and you have to watch out for injuries to your spine especially when you’re moving over the waves. Getting in and out of the boat as a group is also a challenge.
The main obstacle is that with the water being rough, you can’t just look ahead of you and row like in traditional rowing but have to maneuver past waves. The cox really plays an important role in this sport,” Army rowing captain, Sergeant Nuwan Buddhika, explains.
Mahima Weerasinghe, the event’s Sports Coordinator, says that he anticipates a large turnout today consisting of race enthusiasts and family and friends of racers.
He hopes that the success of the event will lead to bigger and better things for not just the sport of surf boat racing but also the area’s fishermen.
He adds that organizers hope to bring in foreign crews for the ensuing editions of the Surf Boat Series, to further aid the sport’s development.
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