Advertisement

Gondola racers push for win at Newport Harbor

Share via

Donning their classic striped shirts, gondoliers were off to the races in Newport Harbor on Saturday morning.

More than 50 rowers representing 20 gondola operations across the United States turned out for the first day of competition in the fourth annual U.S. Gondola Nationals. Before arriving in Newport Beach, the event was held twice in Providence, R.I., and once in Huntington Beach.

During the two-day showcase, gondoliers compete in seven races, including one-, two- and four-rower distance races and one- and two-rower sprints. They also have a two-rower distance race in a slender boat called a pupparin and a one-rower race on a sandolo, a flat-bottomed Venetian row boat.

Advertisement

The races conclude Sunday at the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club, 1601 Bayside Drive, Corona del Mar. The action starts at 9 a.m.

Advertisement