Regata Storica through the lens of Nereo Zane - 10 The "Main Event"

Here are the headliners.

The Regata Storica has many eye-catching, attention-grabbing spectacles, but the last regata, the race of the gondolini is the "main event" of the day.

These are the fastest and most difficult boats to operate of the day's races. The men who row them are the best of the best, having competed all season to get a chance to race down the Grand Canal with all of Venice watching, and cheering.

Graziano Seno and Alfredo Seno row the violet gondolino while Loris Tagliapietra and Rossi Maurizio "Sustin" of Burano pursue in the orange gondolino.

A close-up of the orange boat as Loris Tagliapietra and Rossi Maurizio "Sustin" give it their all.

Friends and fans of Bepi Suste will be happy to learn that Maurizio (in the above photo) is Bepi's son.

The commentators mention of Bepi during the race reinforced the fact that he is well-known and well-liked among Venetians and fans of voga-alla-Veneta.

Rowing a gondolino isn't just a brute-force affair; it requires perfect balance and precise execution of each stroke.
Additionally, the two rowers must work together and stay in sync.

I heard one of the commentators compare the gondolini to the "Formula Uno" in auto racing.

This year's winners, rowing the "gondolino marron" were Rudi Vignotto and Igor Vignotto - cousins from Sant' Erasmo.

Watching the two Vignottos row was deceptive.
They were so smooth, and executed each stroke so well, that it looked easy.
I found myself saying "I could do that". It reminded me of that song in the 80's "I think I can fight Mike Tyson".

I want to give a big thanks to Gondola Blog reader Tamas Feher for sending me this year's broadcast of the historic regata. I've spent a lot of time watching the various races that took place that day.

As with the other race categories, there are nine boats in the gondolino field.

Usually all nine boats cross the finish line, but this year one boat had a problem.

As Giampaolo D'Este and Ivo Redolfi Tezzat were rowing strong near the front of the pack, a problem occurred early in the race. At first many thought it was due to a broken forcola. In fact I incorrectly reported just that (based on initial stories I read on the web).

The boat was inspected after the race and the two forcole were found to be intact.

After watching that portion of the race over and over, what little footage there is to examine shows that something went wrong with the popier on the sky-blue boat.

It appears as though Ivo lost his balance and fell. Some think he caught his remo on something underwater. Others say the blade of his oar got tangled with another boat, but the video seems to disprove that. Things like this happen so fast sometimes, and on a race course of water, it's hard to keep a camera pointed at everyone, all the time. When it happened, Ivo was just barely within the frame of one of the broadcast cameras. I watched him waiver, fall forward, and disappear out of view. The whole thing happened in an instant and was punctuated with a noticeable splash rising up when he hit the water.

I asked Nereo Zane about the issue and he said:
"What "really" happened to Giampaolo D'Este and Ivo Redolfi Tezzat during the Storica? Who knows!!! It's not easy to speak of that for them.

I watched and read two or three interviews in which they confirmed that something went wrong, Ivo lost his balance, maybe his remo touched something in the water. Maybe Ivo slipped, maybe maybe maybe ... The only thing we know for sure is that the gondolino rolled excessively and Giampaolo went in the water followed by Ivo.
You're right though; the plunge wasn't caused by a broken forcola or remo and there was no crash against other boats."

A simple YouTube or Goggle Video search will yeild several clips of the same incident. Take a look for yourself - it's played back in slow motion.

After the incident occurred, and the other eight gondolini had continued on, the two men and their boat were in the water. It's surprising how easily a gondolino travelling at racing speed can become swamped. The area was crowded with emergency response, law enforcement, race committee, and news reporting vessels.

Everyone watching the Regata Storica expects excitement, and this year they got it.

I can't wait until next year.

S. Moisè - Gondolier Conversation

As our favorite "indietro gondolier" from the last post backs down the Rio San Moisè, he passes by two other gondoliers who are having a conversation, probably boat-related.
Notice how the boat-handling is automatic and their attention is totally wrapped around the conversation.

Just another day on the greatest job in Venezia.

S. Moisè - Indietro

Venice has many gondola operations.
Some sit along wide waterfronts, others are tucked into places making them a surprising treat when discovered.

While walking between the Accademia Bridge and Piazza San Marco, you'll cross a number of canals. You'll probably see gondolas passing through some of them. But when you reach the bridge at Campo San Moisè, along a canal with the same name, you'll see a whole lot of them.

The Servizio Gondole San Moisè moors their fleet of gondolas along the sides of the Rio San Moisè, and boards their passengers on the steps of the campo.
With so many tourists walking to and from the Piazza, the gondoliers there have a steady flow of potential customers.

I'll be posting a series of photos from San Moisè.
Today's post features a gondolier working the "indietro magic" to get his boat out backwards. Meanwhile a second gondolier keeps a chair warm in the background, while another one mans his post at the base of the bridge, chatting up passersby and looking to get them on his gondola.

Indietro rowing isn't that tough for a few strokes,
but getting a 36 foot long boat to maneuver backwards down a tight canal can be a daunting task.
Not surprisingly, the gondoliers in tight canal operations become masters at reverse rowing.

A Ferro with Guts

Yep! One of these things is not like the others.

Take a look at this photo I shot in Bacino Orseolo
and you'll find a ferro that looks like it's owner definitely got his money's-worth.

My guess is that he's not the first guy in his family to own that end-iron. In fact it looks like he took it off the boat, drove into the country, walked into the forest, and chopped down a few trees with it.

Now that's a utilitarian ferro.

It's like a Leatherman tool that doubles as a ferro.

Variations in Dubai

Now and then I come across "gondolas" in locations so removed from Venice, that while they are called "gondolas", they are actually something else.
I'm not talking about boats that are shaped like gondolas but have motors. I'm certainly guilty of that. I'm talking about something more extreme.
Today we'll focus our attention on the country of Dubai.
And while I haven't any photos of my own to share with you, I think the following links ought to suffice.

A blogger named Nadia has a nice post about a waterway in Dubai where they give boat rides.

Here's a close-up of one of the boats there.

Another blog has more photos of the same waterway in this post.

It looks like they're using a boat called an "abra" to give tours on another waterway in the city.
I'm not sure if the boats in the previous location are also "abras".

Finally, I came upon something that sure does remind me of a certain casino in Las Vegas.
It looks like they were only rowed for a short time, but check out this article in the Dubai Chrionicle.

Ferro in the Sign

I caught sight of this trattoria while navigating one of the tight passageways on my way to Ristorante da Ivo in the heart of San Marco.
I have no idea how the food is, but I'll give 'em points for clever use of the ferro in their sign.

Just the Photo - "Traffic on Rio di San Luca"

The Leaning Tower of Greci

Pisa is not the only place with a leaning tower.
In Castello, not far from Piazza San Marco, you'll find the church of San Giorgio dei Greci - a Greek Orthodox church with a rich history. She stands as evidence of a once thriving Greek population within La Serenissima. One census taken in the 15th century indicates that there were about four thousand Greeks living in Venice. And while the Greek contingent in Venezia may have dwindled over the last few centuries, the church and her campanile still stand as a constant reminder of one part of Venice's diverse past.

The most noticeable thing about San Giorgio dei Greci is her campanile, which leans to the west, almost as if bowing to Piazza San Marco's much taller tower.

Many belltowers lean, in fact I once heard someone claim that Venice had more leaning towers than perfectly vertical ones.

Some have a more obvious tilt than others.

I've also heard that many of the belltowers of Venice have already come down. The ones left are the survivors. By some exaggerative estimations, Venice used to be crowded with campanile, bristling with belfrys.

This one also appears to have a more extreme lean because it hangs out over a canal (the Rio die Greci) and is easily seen from the Bacino San Marco and anyone walking along the fondamente Riva degli Schiavoni.

The tower was built in the late 1500's. It lists to one side due to uneven subsidence beneath.

The next time you're on a Vaporetto east of the piazza, find the Rio dei Greci and see if you can spot a "campanile with a cant".

Kayaker wins Sandolo Race - Bigger Photos

In case you missed his comment on the original post, Rene has a better version of the same race page on this page. The photos are clickable.
Also take a look at "Vogando di nuovo" - can you find the forcola door handle?