With the Regata Storica just five days away (Sunday, Sept 6), training sessions for those competing-- such as the crew of six in the caorlina above--have become even more serious than usual. Our 12-year-old son has competed in other regate before, but this year will be his first time in the Regata Storica, in the two person junior division race, in which he will row in the position of poppiere (the rower at the stern).
After a stormy day of rain yesterday today's sky was very blue and mostly clear, except for some dramatic heaps of clouds to the west and north: combined with the colors of the crew and their boat-- intensified by the lowering sun--the scene above looked something like a contemporary scene rendered in the style of Veronese.
Magnificent pics with Veronese-like colours and light!
ReplyDeleteIt is always a pleasure to find out your photos of the life of Venetian residents that tourists, even if they are spending a long time on the spot, cannot know because they don’t have their own boat and don’t spend enough time to participate to the leisure activities, in particular traditional rowing activities.
I remember passing by chance a few years ago, early in the morning, in front of the open door of a remiera club warehouse, along the Giudecca Canal towards the Punta della Dogana, with all the colorfull boats stored above one another, and watching the launch of the boats. A great Venitian moment!
I really appreciate all your pics of the lagoon and traditional water activities. The light on the lagoon is so changing and fascinating. Many thanks.
Good luck to your son’s team for the Regata Storica race. What is the most strategic post on the boat, at the stern or at the prow?
Thank you very much, Auvraisien. I think Henry James in one of his letter said something about the long stretch of time needed to really get a sense of Venice--though I can see why people might argue that it's so compact and so unique that hardly more than a glance is needed to be struck by it (that's what the mass tourists are counting on). But if you stay long enough then what remains of the life of Venice starts to displace the art of Venice as the city's foremost appeal. And like you, I'm always struck by the boat-filled interiors of the various remiere, as well as by the sight of the vogatori on the water.
DeleteThe rower in the poppa, the stern, is the one who steers the boat, turning the blade of the oar forward in the water as s/he rows to pull the prow (prua) back to the right at those times when s/he exerts more force than the rower up front and makes the boat veer leftward. (My son recently told me about a pair of new young rowers at his rowing club in which the inexperienced rower in the poppa was so much stronger than the rower in the prua that the boat simply went in a counter-clockwise circle--the new rower in the stern not yet having gotten the hang of turning the blade of his oar to straighten the boat out.)