Vogalonga 2012 - Photos and Video from Nereo Zane

While many of us were watching, participating, or wishing we were participating  in the first-ever GondOlympics, another big rowing event was taking place in another part of the world: the Vogalonga in Venice.
This event began in 1975 and has become an international sensation, attracting not only Venetian rowers, but rowers and paddlers of all types from all parts of the world.

Our friend Nereo Zane was on hand with his Nikon, and captured some great images along the Canale di Cannaregio - a spot known for the spectacle of bottlenecked boats.  It's truly a magnificent traffic jam.  Each year during the Vogalonga, everyone who has survived thus far, jams in there, trying to squeeze through one of the three arches in the aptly named "Tre Archi" bridge before they can reach the end of the Canale di Cannaregio, turn left along the Canalazzo and then row to the finish line.

For a nice collection of images of the chaos, check out this link.

And to get a better appreciation of the madness, and to hear what it sounds like, check out his video here.

All seems to be going smoothly at the beginning of the video, but things start to bottle up at around the ten minute mark.  By the fifteen minute mark things have reached critical mass, and they pretty much stay that way.  At the end we see a brief view of things from the other side of the bridge as well.

Bravo Nereo.
Thank you for putting this up so those of us who would like to have been there...can see the madness we missed out on.
I think I'm beginning to understand why some rowers try so hard to finish early - especially those who have freshly painted boats!