Adventure Rowing Down the Ebro: Chiprana

The seed for my second international rowing tour was planted during my first one. I had made two new friends from Cologne, Germany on that trip and they told me that they had organized a tour through Spain that previous spring. And, they were planning on doing it again the following May. Of course I told them that I was interested. So, a short ten months later, we set out adventure rowing down the Ebro river together.

Preparation

I headed over to Europe during the last week of April, reuniting with my Cologne friends in their fascinating city. They had already put a tremendous amount of effort into the planning of this rowing adventure and finished up the last bits while I was there. I helped out by joining them and the majority of the rest of our crew at their club, Kölner Ruderverein von 1877 e.V., for an afternoon to de-rig the boats and load them on the trailer. It was also a wonderful chance to tour this beautiful club located on the shore of the Rhine.

I found it fascinating that the club was located in the heart of a residential neighbourhood. For my home club is situated in a much more rustic setting. The orderliness of the boat house also impressed me. Here there was a place for everything and everything in its place. And it was spotless!

On the Way to Aragon

Several of the crew departed Cologne with the trailer a couple of days later. And the rest of us travelled to our Spanish starting point by planes, trains and automobiles the following day, May Day. Spring had just begun to show signs of life when I had left Toronto and it was in full bloom while I was in Cologne. When we arrived in Spain though, it was full on summer. And I was happy to soak up the sunshine and colour. We dismounted the train from Barcelona in L’Ampolla and from there, made our way inland to the Ebro, stopping to take in the view near Benifallet.

The Aragon region of Spain was our destination. And as we passed through the town of Caspe, we saw an amazing sight. For here were storks nesting on the ruins of an old stone church.

Charming Lake Caspe

The gates of Lake Caspe Camping were also a welcome sight. For it had been a long day of travel and I was ready for a refreshing swim and a cocktail. This charming campground would be our home base for the next two nights. From its neat, stuccoed cabins to its vintage truck and colossal roses, Lake Caspe was filled with enchantments. While I waited for dinner, I strolled its well-maintained grounds and took in some local friends and fauna.

El Mar de Aragon

The following morning dawned sunny and warm, with the promise of a beautiful day. And after a communal breakfast outside our cottages, it was time to get out on the water. We drove to the boat launch, backtracking a bit towards Chiprana. Before we could put the boats in the river though, we had to wash them. Spain has strict boat cleaning standards designed to prevent the spread of zebra mussels. Fully aware of the damage this invasive species has wreaked on the Great Lakes over the years, I could understand the need. That done, it was time to rig the sculls and put them in the river. With our oars on the water, we were ready to begin adventure rowing down the Ebro. It was my first time out on the water for the year and it felt good. As the sun continued its rise, the day heated up significantly. So I was happy for a short bio break at the Club Nautico Mar de Aragón. As I stretched my legs, I came across some other modes of transport which looked pretty fun too. Their map of the section of the Ebro we were rowing that day also intrigued me. This section of the Ebro is known as el Mar de Aragón or the Aragon Sea and its twists and turns reminded me of a mythical creature.

Logistics

We continued on and shortly after mid-day, took shelter from the heat and enjoyed a picnic lunch. Our group consisted of 13 rower. And each day, two different people would sit out, taking responsibility for transporting the vehicles and food and meeting us at the designated lunch and take-out locations. It was an effective system and I was certainly happy to see them that afternoon. I was also happy to spend the last of the 40 kilometres we rowed the day as cox for this hearty crew as both the heat and exertion were catching up with me. Discover the Sunken Village of Fayón as we travel from Mequinenza to Massaluca on the next stage of this adventure row down the mighty Ebro.