Pride & passion: Rowers gear up as Madras Boat Club all set to host prestigious ARAE-FEARA Regatta

CHENNAI: Even for a casual visitor, the sight of rowers meticulously preparing their shells (as their sleek rowing boats are called), adjusting and placing them on the water’s edge, ready for their next outing, stirs a deep curiosity and an almost irresistible urge to step into one of those shells and glide through the waters of Adyar river.

But rowing, a sport that has been part of the Olympics since the Ancient Games, is a seemingly simple but deceptively demanding pursuit, one that is not suited for the uncommitted. For the uninitiated who still wish to experience the essence of the sport, the Madras Boat Club (MBC) offers ergometer machines. These indoor machines provide a taste of the effort and technique required to splice through the water when you’re in a shell.

"It seems easy at first," a passerby at the club tells me, "just step in, strap in, and pull those handles like you're rowing. But don't let the smooth start fool you. You'll be feeling it tomorrow, trust me!"

As the sun sets, casting its golden rays, rowers take to the Adyar, their rhythmic strokes caressing its water ever so slightly as if worried about breaking the tranquillity. This is their daily routine, one that the storied club has been witnessing for 158 years. Now, however, there is a quiet sense of excitement palpable among them as they train for the upcoming 81st ARAE-FEARA Regatta, scheduled to be held in Chennai from January 7 to 11.

The week-long tournament features participants from member clubs of the Amateur Rowing Association of the East (ARAE) and the Far Eastern Amateur Rowing Association (FEARA). The regatta, last hosted by the club in 2023, returns to Chennai after its previous edition in Kolkata.

This prestigious event will bring together over 100 rowers from various clubs, competing in a series of races. The course stretches 750 metres from Kotturpuram bridge to just ahead of the MRTS bridge, with the Madras Boat Club serving as the focal point of the event.

The competition format is as demanding as it is exciting. Two shells line up at the starting line. Rowers who falter in the initial round have a chance to redeem themselves through repechage rounds, but losing twice would entail elimination.

Competitions span multiple categories and boat classes. The ARAE events, often described as a proving ground for young talent, attract rowers aged 17 to 23 vying for the Rolling Trophy.

On the other hand, the FEARA segment will have seasoned athletes, with categories for rowers aged 35 and above, including Masters and Super Masters divisions.

One of the regatta’s most distinctive features is its inclusivity of these veteran categories, providing lifelong rowers an opportunity to relive their passion and compete in a sport they hold dear. “The Madras Boat Club is one of the founding members of the ARAE competition, and we are among the few active clubs that still participate and compete in the tournament,” Sumana Narayanan, Vice-Captain of Boats at MBC told DT Next. “This year’s regatta will also feature the Calcutta Boat Club, the oldest in the country, which remains an active participant.”

When you step into the club which celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2017, a sense of history and tradition envelops you. Adorning its hallways are sepia-toned photographs and memorabilia that testify to the club’s illustrious legacy. Sumana points to an old photograph of her mother and aunts, proudly standing beside English rowers from the pre-Independence era, trophies in hand.

Standing by the Adyar’s banks, Sumana recalls the challenges the club has faced over the decades, including natural disasters. “During the 2015 floods, the water reached up to the hangars. We had to manually lift all the shells and dock them at the front to prevent damage,” she recounts.

A quick visit to the club’s hangars reveals a trove of well-maintained sculls and sweep oars. The shells, ranging from singles to doubles, quads, and even octuples, stand ready to carry rowers on their next outing. It is almost time; the countdown has begun.

TYPES OF ROWING:

Scull: Each rower will have two oars

Sweep: Each rower will use only one oar

Coxed and Coxless rowing refer to two types of rowing configurations based on the presence or absence of a coxswain, a team member responsible for steering the boat and coordinating the rowers. It is indicated by (+ Coxed and - No Coxswain)

BOAT CLASSES

The boat class is determined by the number of seats in the boat

Scull

Single Scull (1X): One rower and no coxswain

Double Scull (2X + or -): Two rowers with two oars, with or without coxswain

Quadruple Scull (4X + or -): Four rowers with two oars each, with or without coxswain

Octuple Scull (8X +): Eight rowers with two oars each, with a coxswain

Sweep

Pair (2 + or -): Two rowers with one oar each, with or without coxswain

Four (4 + or -): Four rowers with one oar each, with or without coxswain

Eight (8+): Eight rowers with one oar each, with a coxswain

The competition will have 26 events, which can be listed in Open events, Masters, Mixed Masters, and Super Masters categories