Those idyllic river postcards, with two or three sailboats in the distance, a group of people there paddling through canals and reeds, and in the sky, silhouetted, some colorful parachutes in the style of kite surfers, they don’t exist. only in remote places where we access the Internet through. We can witness them live, first-hand, and just here. In our Río de la Plata. Berisso and Ensenada have nautical clubs, physical education centers and other institutions with moorings. There, young and old alike enjoy water sports, outdoors, in any season of the year. There are groups of 8-year-old rowers, and also of women over 70. “The river is wonderful, it is something unique”, many agree about that natural channel to which it is said that the city of La Plata turns its back, but many people from La Plata look straight ahead, moved by its vast sky and its majestic vegetation. A space that oxygenates body and soul … even more in these times of pandemic.
María Laura Libardoni (56) is a professor of Physical Education graduated from the National University of La Plata and a lifeguard. More than ten years ago she started as a canoeing student at CEF N ° 67 in Berisso. The activity was so attractive that it was later perfected, and today he is part of the teaching team of that institution. “Marilú”, as everyone calls her, assures that “there is no certain age to start rowing or paddling. I recommend that it is when the child has the necessary muscular strength to move the boat, and also to get back on it if it turns over. There is also no age limit: I have had students who at the age of 76 had their first contact with the river and they fully enjoy it ”.
“What I recommend to those who want to start in the activity is to first take into account the security measures, and approach people who know, who know, to offer their advice. I always tell them that before buying a kayak, buy a life jacket. Likewise, I never tire of repeating that the only way a vest works is to put it on. Taking a course, even if it is short, learning safety priorities and ways of navigating respecting boats, fishermen, bathers, anyone is ready to go out and enjoy the river ”, he says.
Jorgelina Castro has been connected to the river since she was little. with her friend Perla Gotwald row whenever they can
Most of the instructors of nautical activities agree that its practice is usually not more expensive than that of any other sport. The social quota of the club and those of the classes are paid. “It’s like any neighborhood club. The expensive thing is the boats, but in general the clubs have their own and the students practice the sport in them and even with a support boat at their side, where the teachers go ”, describes Martín García, instructor of the Club de Regatas de Cove.
“Canoeing develops the physical and also the recreational part of relaxation that the water gives”
“The boating activity itself is accessible, especially in places like the physical education centers of Berisso and Ensenada, because they allow young and old to come free of charge. Of course, in those places today we are having problems due to the pandemic, but after this, and with a new normality, the practice can be accessed very easily ”, Marilú says.
The Region has the nautical clubs of Berisso and Ensenada, which have teams of teachers who provide the different activities. Among the most popular are kayaking, sailing, and kite surfing.
ROW OR SAIL
In reality, not everyone we see with oars in hand is a rower. “Actually, rowing is different from paddling: the practice of rowing is for example in a boat, with the oars fixed, rowing with your back to the bow. Instead, when you paddle, you go with a loose shovel and you go forward paddling. This is the case of kayaks, for example. The difference is given specifically by the boat that is used “, clarifies Marilú, who until last year was the coach of a group of women survivors of breast cancer, called” Pink Dragons “, who train” in a dragon boat carrying a message of awareness, in addition to benefiting from the healthy contribution that the activity offers them ”.
Franco Pesquera is a helmsman and teaches how to sail
Sofía Herscovich (63) has been paddling since 2015. She started at CEF N ° 67 in Berisso, a bit “by chance”, because a partner of her daughter Mara, who had had breast cancer, was practicing it and was very happy with the activity, besides the positive effect that being in the River had on him was impressive ”. She remembers that “Mara told me about her friend, because the previous year I had gone through a situation of this kind, so thanks to her, Jenny, who took me to some summer activities in January, I got to know the river… I knew him when I was growing up, when I had no idea that two blocks from Montevideo we had paradise! ”.
“I also met a group of wonderful people; We form a group and start going once a week, each one for different reasons, but with a common goal, to enjoy ourselves. Then we took a course and the Camalotes group was formed. When we were able to get out on our own, we made a community purchase of kayaks and we started going frequently, without fixed hours, ”says Sofía.
“The routes are diverse, because in reality the river, each time you go, is different: it depends on whether it is high, if it is low, if there is wind. You arrive, and it shows you where to go. The Camalotes group continues to gather. We have the kayaks in the Nautico de Berisso nursery. We left from there. Last year there was a great stop and we were only able to start going in November; I missed him a lot and that space of enjoyment I replaced with a venture of cement objects and candles, with a line called … Camalotes. It was like bringing the river to my house. Because the river is my place in the world. It is not only a physical activity, but the sensation that the water, the birds, the vegetation give you … It is something wonderful. It is a great therapy that cannot be compared to anything ”, the daughter of the remembered and beloved Pipe Herscovich, who was director of the Teatro Coliseo Podestá for many years, is moved.
“The river, every time you go, is different: it depends if it is high, if it is low, if there is wind”
Marilú, the teacher, agrees: “in the benefits of canoeing we find the technical part, which develops the physical, and we also find the recreational part, that psychological part, of relaxation, that gives the water. We come from the water, from a maternal womb in which we are nine months, and then we are terrestrial until we return to the water, so that it cradles us and gives us peace ”.
There are those who have inhabited the river for their entire lives, like Jorgelina Castro (45), who went “since I was little, to row with my mother at the Regatas Club. In the summer I do it every afternoon that I can, and now, because of the boys’ work and school, I can once a week. There are many people who start from scratch as an adult and get hooked on all things nautical. The club is very complete because there is a gym, instructors, simulators, in addition to the pools, the Creole tennis courts and the restaurant. It is a pleasure to be part of it for so many years ”, he highlights.
The world of sailing is literally a world apart. Franco Pesquera (27) studies Industrial Design and works in dry construction, but he is also a helmsman and teaches sailing. “The world of yachting is usually a bit closed, although now the new generations are opening it up a bit. It is not easy or cheap. In general, there are few owners, but those who are starting begin to form part of crews to simply go sailing or to join a regatta ”, he describes.
Martín is a worker at the Río Santiago shipyard and in the afternoons rowing teacher at the Club Regatas
“To get the helmsman’s license there are courses of approximately six months in the yacht clubs of the area, they usually cost about 7 or 9 thousand pesos per month; at UNLP they are cheaper. There are also people who study and go directly to the Prefecture to take the exam. In the courses they teach you directions, winds, how to communicate by radio, safety and rescue maneuvers, everything you need to be in the middle of the river in a boat that goes at ten kilometers per hour at most ”, says Franco, who ensures that the world of sailing is “expensive, very expensive. An old sailboat, boy, costs about $ 10,000, with a lot to fix. A new one, about 35 thousand dollars up ”.
DUCKS IN THE WATER
There is no age to go to the river. And many start from a very young age to become internalized in nautical activities. In the mornings, Martín García (43) works at the Río Santiago shipyard; and in the afternoons, rowing teacher at the Club Regatas, where he has worked for more than 20 years. “For the initiation, when a little boy comes, the first thing we have to know is if he can swim, because it is very important for nautical activities. We also see how the boys are, because it is a great responsibility and we need them to follow the instructions. Once they get hooked, they love it. But in the beginning they need to learn basic things, like technique and in training. Then, it is all pleasure, enjoy, with the benefits of an outdoor sport, in contact with nature. It relaxes them a lot. They come with tensions and you see how it does them good ”, reveals Martín, who says that the only requirement in the club is to be a member and pay the monthly fee.
“The equipment is basic. We try to get them to come with clothes that are not baggy: they come with leggings, shorts … The boats are expensive, but the club has its own, so for the boys it ends up being a quota like a neighborhood club, for any activity . The boys always go out to the water and have a support boat next to them, with the teachers. It can start between 8 and 10 years. They are separated into groups, by age. It is extremely gratifying to teach them to enjoy the river ”.
– .
