The SRR is the oldest Rennes (Brittany) sport association. The Club born in 1867, to encourage, develop water sport and training passion, organise some public regatta (local, national and international), keep relationship with other sport societies and local authorities.

The Société des Régates Rennaises became a major member of the Union des Sociétés d’Aviron de France (the national french rowing society) in 1882, where she contributed in the animation and organisation of other « water pools » in her locality, such as regattas, and participating to all West regattas.

During the XX century (1901), pushed by some studient and the Dr Patay, the new SRR president, the Club got a new guide line, with higher racing level. Regattas were organised at Cabinet Vert or at Prévalaye helped with all Nantes rowing societies, Saumur, Chatellerault, Tours, Angers and Orléans too. University rower found some glory like Ecole Nationale d’Agriculture crew in 1924 who won the Glandaz cup. In 1930, the woman rowing categorie started to appear whereas the traditional Rennes crossing race using cox quad, awarded the winning crew with the Henri Orrière cup.

Based on the Saint-Cyr bridge, on the junction of the Ille and Vilaine rivers, today named as the Jardin de la Confluence, the modest wood shed used by the SRR was nearly totally destroy during the Second War in 1944, and under her president motivation (H.Guillet), was rebuilt and inaugurate in 1954.

At this time the training pool (3 500m long), going from the Moulin du Comte lock to the Chapelle Boby lock close to the Strasbourg bridge, but time to time this pool with be reduce to authorise the Rennes expansion.

Again from a student crew of the National Agriculture School, the SRR went through the Olympic selection for the Melbourne game in 1956.

From 1969 to 1999 the new SRR’s president, Maurice Cognet, gave to the society, the power to improve her boat capacity, and know glory in the Brittany crew. In 1972, for the first time, a Junior skuller won the National French race and in 1974, it was the time for a light weight quad to won too. After those perfomances the SRR was a member of the National French Crew.

In 1977, the SRR found a new pool, at the Plaine do Baud (north of Rennes), with a lengh of 3 500m open between Cesson Sévigné and Rennes, where the Club is still based. In the same period of time, in 1984, the Club opened a new section, the company rowing, with the beginning of the Citroën crew.

Following her participation in local and national races, with honorable results, the SRR who supported the Brittany Hoping crew, opened herself more and more to a new way of rowing, the « Loisir » section (officilally opened in 1976), who help rowers to discover other pool and rivers around the World (Venise, England), and France too, of course! Then it was time to open herself to alternative ways of row with handicap and school section.

Currently managed by Jean-François Botrel after Geneviève Aubry, member of the National Federation Comity (FFSA), the SRR has around 50 boats and 160 rowers.

In June 2009, a Vichy, the Club met back the highest awarded with the victory of Rose Valette with her single minime skull, but this performance wasn’t the last, follow in 2010 by the Victory of Bastien Quiqueret in single minime category, and the same year by Clément Magnin in single cadet.

More …

Link to the French National rowing history,

The SRR’s Champions Pantheon !

Description of this OARSMEN sport !

Rowing takes place in thin boats made of either wood or synthetic materials.
The front of the boat is called the bow. The back is called the stern. Looking at the boat from stern to bow, the left-hand side of the boat is called strokeside and the right-hand side of the boat is called bowside.

Boats seat between 1 and 8 rowers (or oarsmen) who face backwards and might also include a seat for a cox who faces forwards. Depending on the size and make of the boat, the cox may either be at the front of the boat, in which case the boat is called a front-loader, or he may be at the stern of the boat, in which case the boat is called a stern-loader.

Technically, « rowing » involves each oarsman using only one oar (or blade). If the oarsmen are each using two oars then they are « sculling ». The following table classifies the different boats giving the name of each boat and the symbol which will frequently be used as a convenient abbreviation:

Octuples and coxed quads are used only by children.
The rowers are each assigned a number. The numbering starts at 1 with the rower nearest the bow and continues in order. However, there are two exceptions. The rower nearest the bow is always called « bow » and the rower nearest the stern is always called « stroke ». The cox is always simply called « cox ».

Conventionally, stroke’s oar is on strokeside and the sides alternate as you go down the boat. A rower is considered to be on the side where his oar is attached. This puts stroke, 6, 4 and 2 on strokeside and 7, 5, 3 and bow on bowside (see following diagram).