Ocean Thunder Europe Ltd have completed the negotiations with the City of Biarritz and we are now pleased to announce that the 2010 event will take place at the Cotes des Basques, Biarritz on the 26th, 27th, 28th & 29th August.  The Cotes des Basques has been selected as the venue for various reasons which are:

  *    Access to a wide racing area which provides better racing lanes
  *    Some of the best surf known all around the world by surfers, this beach saw the first surfer in Europe (Biarritz celebrated the 50th anniversary recently).
  *    Access for a larger public audience the cliffs surrounding the beach provide outstanding viewing over the racing arena
  *    An easily accessible beachfront promenade for a VIP village and boat trailers
  *    The City of Biarritz have recently opened a new building on the promenade which will be made available to welcome all the participants and for administration, meetings and functions
  *    The surf at the beach is such that whilst it will provide for spectacular racing it is a surf break that can be rowed in most conditions – it will be less likely that cancellation of racing will take place due to difficult surf conditions

The photos show how magnificent this beach is and its proximity to the centre of Biarritz.

The European Surf Rowing Federation has also agreed to conduct the European Surf Rowing Championships at the same time.  One of the four days will be allocated to this event which will be for European rowers.  More details on the event timetables will follow in the New Year.

This month we have offered incentives to the 2010 winners of: the Ocean Thunder Australia series, the Day of the Giants Champions in New Zealand, and the National Champions from South Africa, UK, France and Holland to attend the 2010 event.  We have also begun discussions with a crew from the USA and we hope to secure their agreement to compete before the end of this year.  With this complement of National Champions we are proud to say that we will truly be conducting a World Surf Rowing Championships.

Corinne Meadmore, the Event Director, said that it is the ambition of Ocean Thunder Europe Ltd, in partnership with the City of Biarritz, to make the Ocean Thunder World Surf Rowing Championships, the Cotes des Basques and Biarritz synonymous with the sport of surf rowing in the world.  Their joint vision is to develop this exciting sport of surf rowing into a world- renowned sport, and to make the Ocean Thunder World Surf Rowing Championships, held in Biarritz, the pinnacle event of choice for surf rowers worldwide.

Biarritz is one of the most elegant and sophisticated resorts in the world to which there are frequent budget flights and plentiful accommodation at all prices. As mentioned previously the Cotes des Basques is one of most glamorous surfing beaches in the world with conditions to provide challenging racing, within a perfect amphitheatre for spectators to enjoy the spectacle. Also strong support is being offered by the City and Region to foster the development of surf rowing.

The beaches and surf conditions in south west France and northern Spain together with great summer weather, access to rowing clubs and surf life saving clubs makes this region perfect for the development of surf rowing. Another attraction is proximity to Spain where along the Basque coast they race treniere boats.  These rowers are semi professional, very skilled and can adapt to surf rowing very quickly.  Everyone involved in surf rowing is welcome to enjoy this great event: competitors, sweeps, officials, and volunteers.  

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