Coastal Rowing
Coastal Rowing is an extreme version of rowing and involves rowing along a sea coast and out into the sea. It can also be done on large lakes and other bodies of water.
Coastal Rowing is one of the fastest growing communities of rowers as the type of boats used mean that flat water is not required, as such the global opportunities are much greater.
Rowing on rough water means that Coastal Rowing is quite different from the flat-water disciplines. Coastal rowers often prefer rough water which adds a whole new dimension to the sport with many coastal rowers cherishing the exhilarating aspect of rowing in extreme conditions.
Coastal Rowing can be easier to learn than flat-water rowing, due partly to the stability and robustness of the boats which differs from the flat-water boats, although another dynamic of needing to understand the sea requires a different skill set. You row on open water with waves, currents and wind. Therefore, the crews need to have precise knowledge of the tides, currents, weather and navigation.
The standard boats are singles (solo), doubles and coxed quadruple sculls. The boats have a bow that cuts through waves easily and an open stern to easily drain incoming water.
There are two event types that fall under coastal rowing, one is the endurance event which ranges between 4 – 6km around buoys in the sea / ocean, the other event that is known as “Beach Sprints”. As the name suggests, the race begins on the beach and is a one against one elimination race: a short sprint on the beach to the boat, row 250 meters, around the turning buoy back to the beach, and a final sprint to the finish.
With Beach Sprints being included at the 2028 Olympic Games, we expect the interest in this form of the sport to grow significantly. It opens new opportunities for athletes around the country be be involved in the sport.
Information on Coastal Rowing and Beach Sprints, created by World Rowing can be found here.
Upcoming Events
- 2024 Swift Racing New Zealand Coastal Rowing Beach Sprint Champs: 4-5 May 2024 held at Titahi Bay Beach, Wellington
- 2024 World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals: 6 - 9 September 2024 held in Genoa, Italy
- 2024 World Rowing Coastal Championships: 13 - 15 September 2024 held in Genoa, Italy