Rowing and Hauling in Providence

photos by Matthew Haynes

Each servizio has it's own rhythms, and it's own collection of punctuating events each year, which dot the calendar, and mark the changes of the seasons.

In Providence, Rhode Island, like some other northern port locations, one of the biggest landmarks on the calendar is the end-of-season haulout.

After the last passenger cruise is rowed, everyone gets together to move all the boats.  They row down the Woonasquatucket River - joining the Providence River, through the Fox Point Hurricane Barrier, up the Seekonk River, and to the ramp in Bold Point Park for haulout.

I've heard about this traditional row for years.  
One day I'd love to be part of it.
Spouses and girlfriends sometimes come along,
 and someone has a habit of doing the row wearing a banana costume.  
(see the post "Going Bananas in Providence")
If I can ever attend, I'm totally bringing my collection of honking rubber chickens.

Banana man passes under the 195.

Giuliana rows the sandolo past the Manchester Street Power Station

right before reaching the hurricane barrier.

From the stern of the famous "Emerson gondola", Marcello snapped this 

as he was approaching an opening in the hurricane barrier.  

Looks like he brought an extra canoe along.

Giuliana exits the Fox Point Hurricane Barrier.

BANANA!!! (and Giuliana).

At the end of the row, all boats were hauled out and ready for their next destinations.  In past years all the boats have gone into workshops or cold storage, but this year a couple of them (and a few staff members) are slated to travel south to Florida for a winter operation in Naples.

A whole season in Providence has come to an end.
Lots of cruises, numerous proposals, Waterfire nights, and great memories.
The grass is still green but fall colors can be seen in the background.

Special thanks to Matthew "Marcello" Haynes for help with text 
and proper spelling of river names.

Scary Faces

photos by Josh Sopp

 

With Halloween upon us, and Nationals still close in our rear view mirror, 
I thought this small collection of photos might be appropriate.

We all know that the tandem duo of Ivano and Mariano are good looking guys, but sometimes when we're in the middle of a fight, we make faces.  
And these two are no exception.

While snaking back and forth in the obstacle course, 
Marian blessed the world with this amazing expression:

Later, in the Distance Tandem, Ivano gave his best "Angry Samurai" face while blasting to a Second Place finish.


 
Let's take a closer look at that magnificent scowl:

These photos were captured by Josh Sopp, who after Nationals was seen at his desk, looking about as dead as he felt, but he did have a medal to show for all his effort.

Solo Sandolo Valesana Sprint - USGN 2018

photos by Greg Mohr

Valesana.

The art of rowing with two oars, crossed, and operated almost scissor-like.

The rowing style of valesana has been used in many instances, but is best known lately for it’s use on a smaller member of the sandolo family known as the “s’ciopon” - a duck hunting boat.

These days you can usually spot this unique rowing style employed by older men in the lagoon of Venezia, or in regatas. You won’t see a valesana race in Regata Storica, but it’s a common sighting in regatas matched between rowing clubs.

To read more about the actual methods used to row valesana, see my post:

"Left Side, Right Side, Ay-yay-yay!"

The crossed-oar event has been an official event at Nationals three times now.

The first time was in 2015 when Tim “Bepi” Reinard brought his small sandolo to Newport for the annual races.

The next time was two years later in 2016 when Tim hosted Nationals in 2017 in his home port of Huntington Harbour.

Later that year, the boat was sold, and transported to Providence, Rhode Island.

It seems that where the boat goes, the valesana goes.

As such, we had our third valesana timetrial in Providence.

Nobody was surprised when Bepi finished first -

he’s always been the best in this event.

I was happy to see my friends Marcello and John Kerschbaum pull in the silver and bronze medals, with Michael from Minnesota pulling a solid fourth place.

Here are the top four finishers:

TANDEM DISTANCE

1. Tim "Bepi" Reinard                   Huntington Beach, CA    53:38
2. Matthew "Marcello" Haynes       Providence, RI              59:86
3. John "Giovanni" Kerschbaum     Stillwater, MN             1:08.7
4. Michael "Remo" Arnold              Stillwater, MN            1:18.9

As I said in my post:
"Left Side, Right Side, Ay-yay-yay!"
"If the oar off the right side...is operated by my left hand...but the left side of the body is supposed to be controlled by the right hemisphere of my brain...AAAHHH!!! It makes both sides of my brain hurt!"

Solo Distance - USGN 2018

photos by Greg Mohr

 Rivera and Ruffino rushing by

The Solo Distance event is arguably the most difficult and demanding rowing competition in the U.S. Gondola Nationals - not just because it's an endurance race, but because the race requires a more "complete" rower.

Rowing as a team takes timing and cooperation
but you've got someone to help you share the work,
and with two or more on a boat, the burden of keeping the boat on course is shared as well.
Row the race alone, and it's all you.

Mariano fights the wind.

The wind blows, you correct.
The boat spins, you stop it.
Oh, and then there's the two and a half miles of water you've got to push the boat through.
 
Owner of La Gondola and host of this year's Nationals, Marcello, told me:
"More than anything else, it is the most psychological event - probably because it's the longest time-wise."

Mastery of every discipline of Venetian rowing is required to compete here.
It's no surprise that an authority on the subject once identified single-oared regattas as "the university of Venetian rowing."

Alessandro powers his way to the finish line.

Gondoliers often show up at Nationals with several races on their "dance card", but only one or two they're really gunning for.  
The Solo Distance is a prime example.  
Gondoliers train for months to duel it out in this contest.

In this edition of the Solo Distance, the race was run in heats of two rowers at a time. 
The times of each competitor were recorded and compared.
When there is an odd number of rowers, 
one competitor rows the course alone.
There are no quarter finals or championship heats.
You get one chance on the course.

Ivano and Mariano begin their heat.

The Solo Distance race this year followed a down-and-back course 
which was rowed twice, for a total of 2.5 miles.
Competitors began upriver from the Crawford Street bridge, 
got a running start, 
and rowed down the Providence River.
They passed under the pedestrian bridge being built on the piers of the old Route 95 bridge,
and then turned around the boat-like structure that surrounds the base of the Point Street bridge, and then returned.
Coming back was the most challenging part as they found themselves working against both wind and current.

Ivano and Mariano in windy conditions.

Providence gondolier Mariano said:
"It felt like after passing the pedestrian bridge the winds picked up 20 mph. The journey around the Point Street bridge to old 95 bridge was by far the most challenging."

Ah, but this wasn't a simple "wind fight" - where you work against the wind head-on.  In this location, the wind was coming in from the west - hitting the boats from the port side and shoving them into bridges.
At times the wind would shift - coming in at an angle - a sort of headwind from the side.
At one point I watched the wind come in from the east, 
again pushing boats into obstacles - this time in the other direction.

After his heat, Michael Angelo Ruffino told me everything I needed to know:
"The whole race happens between the two bridges."

Michael Angelo Ruffino fights to the finish.

The buildings on the west shore created some cover, but once guys emerged from behind them, the game was on, and the wind scored a lot more points than the rowers.

in a post-race conversation with Marcello of Providence, 
we talked about this "third dynamic." 

"It seems like the Solo Distance, more than any other event, is more than just a race of the fastest competitor. It is long, and you’re all alone, you and the boat, trying to get into your rhythm, but at least in Newport Beach, Minnesota, and Providence (three of the last four years) it’s been about you versus the conditions just as much as you versus the competitors." 

Indeed that has been the case for a lot of the distance racers over the years, but none have been more affected by conditions than the solo rowers.


A good example would be Marcello's brother Alessandro - a powerful and experienced rower who won gold in the event in 2016, but had to scratch the previous year due to conditions. This year he had a great run on his first down-and-back, but on the second loop a rogue gust of wind blasted his boat against a bridge foundation.  He ended up in the water, immediately out and back on the boat, and finished strong, but not before the winds knocked his time out of medal contention.

Marcello in a solo pursuit.

Providence gondolier "Ivano" gave me a great summation:

"Gondolas and wind mix like orange juice and toothpaste, and there was about 100 gallons of juice out there. 

That wind was unreal: dead stop in the middle of a race."

When all is said and done, one of the best ways to evaluate a gondolier is how he or she handles adverse conditions in a single oar capacity.
In both racing and passenger cruise situations, when wind, current, rough seas, or other calamities threaten you, that's when you find out just how much you're capable of.  

Ivano bringing power to bear.

All the rowers that day in Providence did incredible work.
In the case of some competitors - it was earning a medal.
For others it was a matter of getting knocked down and rising again to fight even harder - to finish with determination and earn the respect of everyone watching.

As Marcello put it "you're all alone, you and the boat."
Will you bow to adversity? 
Will you quit?
Or will you rise to the occasion?

Nobody quit that day.

Eddie Rivera and Michael Angelo Ruffino "flying south."

Marcello powers past boats filled with firewood.

Bepi checks with the time keepers at the finish line.

Here are the top four finishers:

SOLO DISTANCE

1. Harrison "Mariano" Richards    Providence, RI          33:45.2
2. Matthew "Marcello" Haynes     Providence, RI          35:44.6
3. Michael Angelo Ruffino            Newport Beach, CA   37:13.3 
4. Adam "Ivano" Alves                Providence, RI          40:01.0

From left to right:
Michael Angelo Ruffino of Newport Beach - Bronze
Mariano of Providence - gold
"Marcello" of Providence - silver

Bepi and Alessandro  - a beautiful still shot...

of a hard fight against wind and current.

Public Radio on the Docks

In the midst of all the controlled craziness of the US Gondola Nationals this year, there was a reporter from a local news outlet - diligently interviewing competitors and snapping a few photos as well.

We love it when the press shows up and takes time to cover our unique competition.
Here's a great article that sums up nicely what it is that so many of us look forward to each year.

Seventh Annual U.S. Gondola Nationals Bring Gondoliers Together In Providence