Ghent (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Today, Aug 30, 2025, 35 rowing teams, including Belgium and Netherlands crews, raced 20 sloops and 15 flat-bottomed boats in Ghent’s canals. Organised by Carolus Quinto, proceeds support their Atlantic Challenge goals.
As VRT News reported, the canals in Ghent’s city centre hosted 35 rowing teams from Belgium and the Netherlands today, Aug 30, 2025, for the annual Battle of Ghent. The race included 20 sloops and 15 flat-bottomed boats.
It is organised each year by the Carolus Quinto rowing team, a branch of the sea scout group “De Wilde End.” The event raises funds to support the team’s participation in the biennial Atlantic Challenge, an international long-distance rowing competition.
What happened at Ghent’s annual Carolus Quinto rowing race?
Sloops and flat-bottomed boats are both small rowing vessels with different designs. Sloops are built for speed and manoeuvrability. Flat-bottomed boats have a sloping bottom and angled sides, with a nearly vertical bow. The flat-bottomed boats used in today’s race were larger than typical models.
The rowing race brought together 2 different types of boats. Pontoons were all the same size and made of metal. Each pontoon had a crew of 4 rowers. Sloops, on the other hand, differed in size and carried crews of 6 to 12 rowers. Around 500 people lined the Korenlei to cheer for the rowers as they neared the finish line.
The ceremony will take place at 5:30 PM, with the winners being announced and their medals presented soon after. After the ceremony, there will be about 300 rowers and their coaches who will eat a meal together at the marina on Snepkaai. The event’s proceeds will help Team Carolus Quinto prepare for the Atlantic Challenge in Denmark next year.
The team won the Atlantic Challenge in the United States in 2024. This race is held every two years in a different country. In 2020, the event took place in the United Kingdom. In 2022, it was held in France. The next edition will be in Denmark in 2026. The competition lasts several days and includes many rowing events.
Team Carolus Quinto has also competed in national and European regattas over the years to gain experience. Local supporters help the team with fundraising events. The current race at Korenlei is one such event.
Leave a Reply