zaterdag 11 mei 2013

The Nile Rowing Expedition, first edition 2013

Carola, who lives, works and rows in Egypt and Martin, as an experienced Dutch marathon rower had the idea of rowing on the Nile. They teamed up and after one and a half year of organizing they made their dream come true. A group of 15 experienced rowers from the Netherlands, Germany and America rowed from Luxor to Cairo. A distance of 720 kilometers in 10 days from the 26th of April to the 5th of May 2013.  We rowed in two Egyptian C4x+. That meant that every day 10 people would row and steer and 5 people could enjoy the rich Egyptian heritage and culture.

Most participants arrived early in Luxor to visit the beautiful ancient monuments, enjoy Luxor and to get accustomed to the heat. Their suitcases packed with white shirts with long sleeves, sun hats, and sunscreen and water.
The expedition started with a day of rigging the boats fit for the expedition, making some test runs and getting to know each other.

The first day of rowing started with a ‘blessing’ ceremony with fresh flower leaves for a safe journey by a representative of the Egyptian ministry of Tourism and made us feel welcome. Rowing on the Nile past the Karnak Temple (Luxor) on star board side and the Theban Necropolis on port side was the start of a beautiful and gruelling expedition.

We mostly rowed on a slow moving winding river, with palm trees and villages on the river banks.  On the smaller river arms of the Nile we encountered a lush green scenery filled with birds and fisherman rowing traditional boats. Sometimes when the river had made her way through an area with rocky mountains we rowed with a barren desert on one side and cliff’s on the other. What didn’t change was the blistering sun with temperatures up to 40 degrees centigrade and drinking huge amounts of water and fresh juices. 

The Egyptian government was very concerned about our well-being. That is why police boats escorted us all the way on the water and when we drove in a convoy. It was sometimes difficult to go out for an unplanned after dinner stroll with a hotel lobby full of guards. But on the other hand in Qena a polite police general accompanied us to the famous local mosque. Our lunch breaks in little villages along the Nile proved that the Egyptian people were very friendly. They provided us with fresh baked ‘sun bread’ , tea and shared the shade under their trees. In the evening they assisted in lifting the boats out of the water.

The crew that did not row was enjoying Egypt’s rich heritage. Like the Pharonic, temple in Karnak, the Coptic Red Monastry in Sohaq and the famous Islamic mosque in Qena. They went with a minibus on dusty roads and through Egyptian villages with friendly people and cattle on the road. Most participants also ‘enjoyed’ one or two days of not rowing due to food poisoning, sleep deprivation, heatstroke or exhaustion due to the daily distances of up to 90 km’s. Well……,we did call it an ‘Expedition’ from the very beginning.

Before we knew it we were rowing into Cairo. We finished accompanied by an armada of rowing boats, official representatives and the press. A dream came true!
---
More information: Martin Paasman, martin.paasman@gmail.com
Please become a member of the Facebook group:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/286409574777813/

The Nile Rowing Expedition was an idea of Carola GrĂ¼n and Martin Paasman, both members of Rowing Club De Laak in The Hague, the Netherlands. It was organized together with  Dabuka Expeditions, Arab Contractors Sporting Club, Luxor Rowing Club and the Egyptian Rowing & Canoe Federation. Under the patronage of the Ministry of Tourism and the Egyptian Tourist Authority.

Geen opmerkingen:

Een reactie posten