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A comment from Rowing Service reader Mason Durant, 18th October 2005 I am writing regarding the D'Inverno sul Po in Turin in March. As part of the Lancaster RGSBC 8+, we decided to travel to take part in the race in 2005. We were warmly welcomed by our hosts and enjoyed the free accomodation. The whole trip was going well until we saw the "quality" racing shell we were promised, just 30 mins before we were supposed to boat. The 8+ was from Esperia club in Turin, one of the wealthiest. It had seen better days (maybe sometime back in the 1930's) and there were several fundamental flaws such as the lack of bow ball and large holes in several places along the hull that were clearly unsafe. The boat was incredibly flexible with what looked like wall plaster over the hull where it was designed to be sectional. We ended up taking an entire toolbox in the boat with us that was passed up and down the boat along with gaffa tape to mend the area you were sitting in. Naturally we were delighted at the prospect of getting Crocker blades although they were not as useful as expected as the swivels had negative pitch with the result that the spoons submarined when feathered. During the race, our 3 man's footplate sheered off and he decided to carry on rowing. His sliders then became detached and the result was him sitting in an ambulance after the race for 30 mins as a doctor assessed his injuries. Apart from the problems during the race, the trip was thoroughly enjoyed by all as Turin is a magnificent place to visit. The only warning I can give is that the condition of the boat is best known before even setting off from England.
Mason Durant
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