The Ólavsøka national holiday celebrations, which took place in Tórshavn as usual on July 28th and 29th, offer a whole plethora of festivities and events, ranging from sports to arts, music and various types of entertainment. Of all these spectacles and attractions, there is one in particular that stands out, one that puts the ultimate show of physical effort, enthusiasm and public engagement on full display: the traditional boat races—also known as the national sport of the Faroe Islands.
The racing event takes several hours as it spans 11 categories. The categories are organized by rowboat size, age and gender of the rowers, plus two Masters categories. The smallest boats are manned by six rowers and the largest ones by ten rowers, all of them also with one coxswain—the person at the rear steering the boat while cheering and egging on the rowers.
The racing distance is 1,000 meters except for the junior categories who cover 500m. The races are held at various festivals across the islands throughout the short summer season, culminating at Ólavsøka where the champions are determined if not already decided prior to that—and celebrated, not least by the local communities from across the Faroes that are associated with the various racing boats.
The main organizer of the rowboat races is Róðrasamband Føroya (RSF)—the Faroe Rowboat Racing Association—a union of 27 rowboat racing clubs from all over the islands. According to the RSF, 26 rowboat racing clubs are registered with the organization, with about 1,300 active team members manning a total 140 rowboats.
The first known Faroese rowboat race took place at Tvøroyri in the late 1870s. About a decade later the races were held for the first time at Ólavsøka. As of 1960, official standards have been in place for the shape, weight and size of rowboats eligible for participating in the races. One of the preconditions is that the boats be made of wood and built in the classic style native to the Faroe Islands.
The rowboat races remain a major cultural phenomenon in the Faroes, with large numbers of people involved beyond the participants themselves. In a sense, all Faroese towns and villages of any stature should have a rowboat racing club with at least one boat. Of course there is plenty of activities associated with the races, with a whole world of social life attached to it. All of that comes to the fore at the Ólavsøka rowboat races.
