Welp, its official! The blisters are back folks. I have debated back and forth about joining the rowing team here in South Africa and finally I broke down and decided that not only did I miss rowing terribly, but I wanted to experience what South African rowing was like. So, this morning, the Vice Captain of the team picked me up at Annie's Cove and it was about an 25 minute drive out to the river and boathouse. The team has a pretty decent boathouse, with about 15-20 boats, but no dock, so we had to wade into the water up to our thighs and then climb into the boat two at a time. At first, we took out an eight, with a few novice members in the boat as well, so things were a bit rocky but it was nice just to back in a boat, rowing!
Most things were the same, but I did notice a few big differences in the way they talk about rowing. For example, to refer to the different sides of the boat, we say "Starboard" and "Port" to refer to the left and right side of the boat, where as they say "Bow side" and "Stroke side." Different than what I'm used to. They also call their personal best, in like a 2k or 5k a "trial."
Overall, I enjoyed myself, and I think I will defiantly enjoy rowing here in S. Africa. They entire team was very welcoming and open to answering questions and making me feel at home. There is a regatta coming up in two weeks that they were really hoping I would attend, but I have already planned to go to Cape Town since it is on a long weekend break from school. Instead, I will go with them to a regatta in April in Johannesburg, which I think will be really fun!
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