Men living along the Cantabric Sea have always needed to be very strong in their arms as seamen. This, together with the characteristic wind force, has been vital to keep rowing until the fishing ground was reached.
Once the catch was picked up, it was necessary to come back to the land at top speed in order to auction it in the port.
This is how the rivalry between fishermen came up, as every fisherman wanted to be the first one in the land and get the best price for their catch. These are the origins of the exciting sport that the rowing race is.
In Pasaia, around the middle of the 19th century, there were three boats (called “traineras”) involved in towing, two from San Juan and one from San Pedro.
In the course of time, the motorboats sustituted the strengh of the men. But, during the following years, the practice of the “trainera” races kept connected to the fishing. The professional fishermen made up the best coastal crews.
Even today, with the incorporation of all kind of athletes, the oarsmen’s will is to join clubs from the most fishing-tradition villages. The “Flag of the Kontxa” (“Bandera de la Concha” in Spanish) is one of the oldest and most famous rowing competitions along the Bay of Biscay, held annually in the Kontxa, the main bay of San Sebastian. It takes place on the first two weekends in September and regularly draws crowds of more than 100,000 people and around 20 rowing teams.
Nowadays the boats taking part in the competition have the following dimensions: 12 meters of lengh, 1,72 of beam and minimum weight of 200 kilos. A crew is made up of thirteen oarsmen and the cox, who faces them at the stern.