Review on the W3 Spring Tour (Geintocht), Sunday June 7th 2026

Just remember your bakboord side!

On Sunday June 7th, we took part in the W3 spring tour with Jan Pasman, a C4x+ skull. We set off at 9h30, and since the Triathlon was taking place, we did the tour in reverse order (anti-clockwise)! So we left going towards Ouderkerk, and we came back through the Weespertrekvaart.

It was someone’s birthday, so each team received a surprise treat – our team received a pack of stroopwafels.

Our boat decided to sing during our journey with our stuurboord dol squeaking -so the best remedy we had available was to pour water on top, and it did indeed help. When you’re on the water, you can get creative with problem-solving! 😁

The most interesting part of the tour was right after the lunch break, when we passed through a thin passage, The Nauwe Gein River, with slippen while the cox used the paddle and the boeg used a hook to push the boat away from hitting the edges.
We later had to doorvallen and slippen at the same time under a very low and slightly thin bridge, the Dorpsbrug in Abcoude.

Also, we met a boy who helped us along the way – he said he knows W3. We got the rudder stuck so he helped push us off – he was jogging past us in Abcoude.

We even had a woman from Montpellier joining the teams, because she likes to travel around different countries and spontaneously join rowing events – sounds like a fun way to incorporate rowing into your holiday!

The tour was beautiful, with strong wind in some places, and interesting views. Towards the afternoon we were lucky, because the sun came out to greet us, and we ended the day with some well-deserved snacks and a drink back at the club. 🌞☕

Isabelle Whitaker