Going to extremes to revive Maldivian rowing

After the 2004 tsunami that devastated the Maldive Islands, a young boy gathered together bits of scrap wood, wire and ingenuity and built a raft. Instead of making a paddle, the boy made riggers. The raft became a rowing boat.

A photo of this boy and boat caught the eye of FISA youth commission member and Olympic medallist, Guin Batten. “It was brilliant. Any other kid building a raft would use a paddle, but not this boy,” says Guin. “I started asking questions.”

A year ago Batten travelled to the Maldives. She discovered that rowing is an integral part of the culture and that as a nation they are sports mad. Despite their small population (about 390,000) they excel at football. “They were still competing in rowing up into the 1980s. The capital, Malé, had a 20-man rowing boat race.” Batten says rowing died away due partly to the political instability of the nation and now none of these rowing boats can be found. But Batten’s questions have meant that people are taking a renewed interest.

“I want to revive rowing as a sport,” says Batten. She then wondered how she could make people aware of it. “No one has ever rowed across the Zero Degree Channel in the Maldives.”

The Channel, in the Indian Ocean, is between the Atolls and is known for strong tides, ocean swells, local storms and the world renowned surf break, Beacons. Batten plans to attempt the 60km crossing in early April in a FISA standard coastal rowing single.

“I want to grab their (the Maldivians) attention by doing this,” says Batten who has been taking her preparation and planning very seriously. On the eve of leaving for the Maldives from her home on the Thames River in England, Batten says she has done sessions of up to 40km on the rowing machine and 40km rows on the Thames. Batten has also completed speed trails on the sea to test the single in sea swells.

“It went great, I was doing on average about 8.7km/hour,” says Batten who is predicting the Zero Degree Channel will take her about seven hours. “It was technical, but not problematic.”

Batten believes the biggest challenge will be going from the English winter into the heat of the Maldives of up to 40 degrees Celsius. She is also aware that underneath her will be 2km of water down to the ocean floor.

Batten and her support crew are leaving a five-day window of opportunity to pick the best day, weather wise, for the crossing. The heat may mean that the row could take place at night.

Already a pop concert is planned for Batten’s arrival and two film crews will be following her progress.

Follow Batten on Facebook, search: 2010 Zero Degree Crossing

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