Sabaudia 2026: Sunshine, Strokes and Smiles
Every rowing camp has its heroes, and ours began with two: Ken and Simon, who drove the trailer loaded with all our boats 1,606 km from London to Sabaudia. An incredible effort. We are all so grateful. It’s a long, long drive, and they absolutely deserved their first cold birra the moment they rolled into Sabaudia.
Meanwhile, Colleen, Norma and David arrived on Sunday and were the first to touch the water on Monday morning. The rest of us, all 19 travellers, left London Heathrow at 6:40 on Monday and reached the hotel just in time for lunch, hungry and excited to get started.
Boats First, Always
The very first job: prepare the boats. Out came the rigger jiggers, and soon the boat park was alive with the familiar clinks and taps of riggers being tightened and seats being checked. Once everything was ready, we headed out for our first row, a gentle, tourist-style paddle on the lake as Ken would say. Most welcome by all. The water was beautiful, the scenery even better, and it was the perfect way to ease into the week.
Training Begins
From Tuesday, the real work started: two sessions a day under the expert guidance of our coach, the lovely Ricardo. His focus was simple but powerful: feel the boat, connect with the water, relax the wrists, use the body as one smooth chain to drive the stroke, hang! The first two days were windy, not ideal conditions, especially for those braving singles, but everyone stayed upright and dry, which felt like a small triumph. Between sessions, some of us even managed peaceful beach walks. Sabaudia is truly a stunning place to train.
Evening Debriefs & Growing Blisters
Each evening, we gathered for debriefs with video analysis. There were moments of pride, moments of laughter, and of course a few “must improve” clips, but Ricardo was genuinely impressed with how quickly everyone was progressing. The training is hard, and the blisters are definitely making themselves known (ouch), but the atmosphere is nothing short of brilliant. Lovely people, relaxed vibes, and plenty of good laughs.
Smiles All Around
Despite the long days, the sore hands, and the early starts, the mood is bright. There’s something special about rowing in such a beautiful place, surrounded by teammates who support, tease, encourage and laugh together. Sabaudia 2026 was already shaping up to be a camp to remember — sunshine, good company, and the simple joy of being on the water.
And the best part? We still had three days left. More rowing, more learning, more sunshine, and more memories to come.
Race Day Magic
Race day arrived with perfect weather conditions, calm water, warm sun and that quiet buzz of excitement that only rowers truly understand. Ricardo’s coaching paid off beautifully. The boats moved cleanly, confidently and with real purpose. Team Jacqui won! A brilliant, powerful performance, but Team Heather were not far behind, pushing hard and rowing superbly. The whole race was competitive, fun and full of heart — exactly what a camp race should be. After the finish, everyone pitched in to prepare the boats for the journey home. Soon everything was safely loaded onto the trailer. Tired arms, but smiles everywhere.
Then came beach time for some of us — a well?earned stretch of sand, sun and sea — followed by an unforgettable dinner at a local restaurant. Fresh seafood, superb wine, laughter echoing around the table. A proper Italian feast and a perfect way to celebrate the week’s efforts.
A Final Treat: Vineyard Visit
On our way back to Rome, we made one last stop: a beautiful local vineyard. A relaxed tour of the vines and cellar, followed by a delicious wine tasting and a long lunch, Italian-style. Warm, generous, slow and joyful — the perfect finale.
What a Camp
Sabaudia 2026 was more than a training camp. It was sunshine, teamwork, progress, laughter, good food, good wine and the joy of doing what we love in a place that feels made for rowing. A fab camp — one we won’t forget.
Words and image by Kristell Marcatoni
