From whalers to regattas, rowing in the Basque Country has changed from a trade to a sport
Rowing is one of the most traditional sports in the Basque Country and also one of the hardest. The rowers or arraunlariak train almost every day, they do not usually enjoy great means, the weather is not the most suitable and of course the salaries of the arraunlaris have nothing to do with those of the footballers.
But before rowing was a sport, it was a trade, the whalers. It is unknown when they started, but Basques and Cantabrians built trawlers many centuries ago to catch whales. It is said that they were the ones who started the whaling industry and around the 1570s-1580s they went to Newfoundland to hunt whales. But at the end of the 15th century, when the war against the British began, the Spanish navy required every ship the country could provide, and the whalers ran out of ships to fish.
Throughout Spain there are lots of tournaments such as the Prince of Asturias Flag, Conde de Fenosa Flag, Teresa Herrera Flag, Santander Flag, Nervion Grand Prix or the Spanish Trawler Championship, but in TurismoVasco we will talk about the two most emblematic championships, the San Miguel ACT league and the La Concha Flag.
San Miguel ACT League: This competition was created in July 2003 with the intention of promoting rowing and all that it entails. Thanks to the great organization of the first year (2003), both the fans and the organizers of the event were very satisfied since the number of followers increased widely, the media coverage was at the height, the professional management had its fruits and the league was consolidated. This league covers a very high level of competition and the 12 best teams from Asturias, Cantabria, Galicia and the Basque Country participate in it. The aforementioned communities are the ones that have promoted and supported the initiative for this sport to become part of Spanish sports. It also has minor leagues (ARC league and LGT league) to guarantee a higher level of competitiveness within rowing.
San Miguel ACT League
La Concha Flag: It is the most prestigious championship in Spain and all the teams fight to reach this Flag. It has been held since 1879 (2008 in the female category) and the first two Sundays of September is when the races are held. Eight teams take part, one of which is always the host, the Donostiarras. The other seven are invited by the organization and their election is based on their merits throughout the year in the different championships held throughout Spain. This regatta is a 3 nautical mile double-handed race and as a curiosity, it only has one ciaboga (a 180-degree turn maneuver that is performed during the race around a buoy) and not two as usual.
La Concha Flag
We leave you a video about the Flag of La Concha:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIMAxMGLbFI
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