Adventures of a very big boat
By Anita Suter, Sr. Communications Manager
Little did we know the arrival of the world’s longest rowing shell, made in Switzerland, would spark such excitement. And not just within the rowing community: the word spread rapidly across social media and via local news outlets, engaging everyday people up and down the eastern US.
The Stämpfli Express’ maiden voyage on American waters took place in North Carolina, where it was featured prominently on TV, rowed by CHAOS Rowing Club, which is headed by Swiss expat Felix Mühlebach, also the owner of Matching Needs, a company dedicated to “creating unique solutions at the intersection of Marketing, Communication and IT”. From the start, Mühlebach has been a vocal proponent of the 24-seater; his support played a big role in the Stämpfli Express’s U.S. visit.
The Guys with the Boat The Stämpfli was accompanied throughout its journey by two very special guys: one is Melchior Bürgin, owner of Stampfli Racing Boats, which is headquartered on the shores of Lake Zurich. Bürgin is the one who conceived of a 24-person rowing boat in the first place—in fact it’s been a dream of his for many years. He is a former Olympian and a well-known character within the rowing community. The other is David Gabel, competitive rower, rowing instructor, and employee at Stämpfli Racing.
“The Guys with the Boat” from left: Beat Aklin, David Gabel, Melch Bürgin.
David Gabel getting the Stämpfli Express ready to row
Bürgin and Gabel hauled the six-piece, 880-pound monstrosity from river bank to river bank on a custom-built trailer pulled by a gigantic red van. They were also accompanied by long-time friend Beat Aklin who helped early on with logistics.
Washington D.C. – Head of the Anacostia & Head of the Potomac The touring of the fall regattas kicked off with a visit to the Head of the Anacostia and the Head of the Potomac in Washington D.C. at the very end of September. Both days the Stämpfli Express was the center of attention and admiration from rowers and spectators alike.
The Stämpfli Express getting attention at the Head of the Anacostia in D.C.
A few examples of the many comments the world’s longest rowing boat triggers are listed below:
“Oh my gosh…”
“Holi Cannoli,”
“Wow, Wooow, Wooooooow!”
“Incredible,”
“This is sooooo cool,”
“24?! That’s our whole team!”
“24 people! Oh my god!”
“Holy smokes!”
“24 seats! No sh*t!”
“Oh boy,”
“This is insane,”
“Imagine if they put three Olympic Eights in there… “
If we were to guess the numbers of selfies taken at these regattas… well we couldn’t— let’s just say that the selfies abounded.
Seeing the unimaginably long Stämpfli Express on land is one thing – but witnessing its length as it glides through water is a whole other story. At this stop, members of Potomac Boat Club and their friends – all of who were professional rowers (and some with recent wins at the World Championships and Olympics) took it for a spin. Crowds on the banks applauded and cheered; the excitement was palpable. Have a look for yourself; see this amazing video cut by row2k.com, and read this article by US Rowing.
New Haven, CT – Yale University After a short stopover at the Head of the Ohio in Pittsburgh, PA, the Stämpfli Express visited New Haven, CT, home of Yale University where Melch Bürgin, some 20 years ago, worked as a rowing coach. Organized by the Swiss Students and Affiliates at Yale (SSAY), the Stämpfli visit included two evening rows (as covered by the New Haven register) and a talk by Bürgin on the importance of team spirit. Not only could he source of decades of rowing himself, but also his experience building boats for Stampfli Racing, including his dream project, the Stämpfli Express.
The Stämpfli Express’ visit to Yale university included a talk on the topic of Team Spirit, organized by the Swiss Students and Affiliates at Yale (SSAY)
Cambridge, MA – swissnex anniversary event Naturally we made sure the Stämpfli Express would visit our own hometown of Cambridge! As part of our 15th anniversary event, we invited the local community to stop by and see the 144-foot piece of Swiss innovation at the Joan Lorentz Park, just across the street from the swissnex Boston office. Although torrential rain hindered the numbers, many folks did brave the weather and were rewarded with a glimpse of the Stämpfli Express and a quiz on innovations from Basel provided by the Canton of Basel Stadt. The quiz featured exciting prizes, among them a trip to Basel. Special Swiss provisions were also made available to those who braved the weather, namely in the form of Swiss chocolate, kindly provided by Lindt. See pictures of the event here!
Despite torrential rain, the people of Cambridge MA came to see the Stämpfli Express at Joan Lorentz Park across the street from swissnex Boston.
Boston, MA – the swissnex team in the bow Making good use of the Stämpfli Express’s presence in Cambridge, local rowers took it out for a spin the next day from the Riverside Boat House, the very club that David Gabel, (one of the Stämpfli Express’s aforementioned chaperones) was a member. Rumor has it that staff members of the swissnex team climbed in and experienced the shell on water. Most of them were very much at the “extreme beginner” level, and aptly demonstrated “catching a crab,” which is an insider rowing term used to describe when, due to form and timing mafunctions, an oar gets incorrectly “caught” in the water, ultimately splashing those nearby, and slowing the boat down. :-)
the swissnex team demonstrating how not to row :)
Boston, MA – Head of the Quionebequin On October 11th, the Stampfli Express visited the Community Rowing Boathouse further up the Charles River, which is the finish line of the annual Head of the Quionbequin, a youth regatta. During the race, it attracting passersby and quiz-takers, and afterward, race-winners of all categories were invited to climb in and take the massive shell for a spin, again to the applause and cheers of spectators. See for yourself:
Bystanders applaud as the Stämpfli Express is taken on a spin by the winners of the Head of the Q. Regatta.
Boston, MA – Head of Charles Rowing typically brings only one thing to the minds of Bostonians: the Head of Charles! The world’s biggest two-day regatta –- attracting 11,000 athletes and 400,000 spectators each year –- is one of Boston’s most popular events. This year swissnex Boston partnered with Croker Oars, the manufacturer who provided forty-eight new and shiny oars for the Stämpfli Express, and the Swiss Canton of Basel-Stadt, Sister State of Massachusetts. Together we hosted a tent on the banks of the Charles River, catering passersby with all things Swiss, such as informational brochures on academia, pens & lenyards, news on upcoming events at swissnex Boston- and last but not least, of course, the Stämpfli Express.
Philadelphia, PA – Head of the Schuylkill The journey continued to Philadelphia, in time for the Head of the Schuylkill. The Swiss bastion was reinforced by Jennifer Charlton from the Swiss Consulate General in New York and Christine Pfister, Honorary Consul in Philadelphia.
Melch Bürgin surrounded by old rowing competitors and friends
A stop at the Conshohocken Rowing Center, Pennsylvania was quite a historical moment: Rowers of Malvern Prep and Haverford School set the U.S. speed record in the process of rowing the Stämpfli Express. According to a testimonial on Malvern Preparatory School’s website “After getting used to the massive vessels and warming up a bit, the teams’ strokes lined up in rhythm and they let it loose, reaching a GPS-measured speed of 23.1 km/hour, which is a new national record for the 24x!”
Chattanooga, TN – Head of the Hooch With October coming to an end and temperatures dropping, the regatta calendar moved further south -- and so did the Stämpfli Express. Weeks ahead of time, the organizers of the Head of the Hooch had pulled every possible string to accommodate the Swiss delegation, giving three groups of 24 rowers the chance to take the Stämpfli Express on the water. We were also honored by a visit from Andreas Maagert, the Swiss Consul General in Atlanta.
Augusta, GA – Head of the South Finally, the Stämpfli Express, accompanied of course by Melchior Bürgin and Dave Gabel, made its final regatta stop at the Head of the South, where the Georgia Tech Rowing Club rowed it down the Savannah River.
All good things come to the end Two and a half months, 70 rows, 1680 rowers. These are the numbers of the first ever Stämpfli Express U.S. Tour-- and they do not include the many visitors at all the events listed above, nor the dozens of people who dedicated their time to overcome logistical obstacles and tight racing schedules to incorporate this crazy piece of Swiss innovation into their regattas.
A special thanks goes out to Presence Switzerland, the Canton of Basel-Stadt, SWISS, Matching Needs, and Croakers Oars, all of whom were supporters of this project. Melch Bürgin, taking a few well deserved days off before flying back to Switzerland, visited the Cape Canaveral Air space museum in Florida, where he read the sentence “Never give up a dream” and related it to this project: “For years I have been trying to bring the Stämpfli Express to the US. It has been a dream of mine for a long time that now – thanks to swissnex Boston and many other supporters – has finally become true. Today I am proud that I pushed the idea of building such a long boat through, against all odds. I had no idea it would become such a world-spanning success story.”
Although the official tour of the Stämpfli Express with swissnex has come to an end, the 144-foot boat is currently still in the U.S., and making its way to the west coast. Keep your eyes open for it! Interested rowers can contact David Gabel here: http://row24tour.com
Learn more about the background of the tour here and find pictures from different tour stops on our Flickr account as well as a video playlist on our YouTube Channel!
