The Blackburn Challenge

The Blackburn Challenge is a 22-mile open water rowing and paddling race in the Atlantic Ocean held in Gloucester, Massachusetts. It is named after Howard Blackburn, the famous fisherman who survived five nights at sea with his hands frozen to the oars after his dory became separated from the mother ship during a winter storm in 1883. The race is one of the longest and best attended open water races on the East Coast.

The Alden Ocean Shell is one of the most popular rowing shells, and is the boat credited with popularizing "open-water" type rowing using rear-facing sliding-seat rigs in boats capable of open water with wind and waves.

FrontRower™ equipped Alden Ocean Shell

In 1996, Ron Rantilla entered his Frontrower™ equipped (forward facing) Alden Ocean Shell (see photo) in the Blackburn Challenge Race. There were many other Aldens in the race, all equipped with conventional rear facing sliding rigs.  These were classified as "sliding seat touring singles", along with other rowing shells meeting the class standards. Ron's boat (because of its unconventional rowing system), was placed in the "open" class, which started a couple of heats after the sliding seat boats.

Over 100 boats finished the race. Ron Rantilla won the open class, and during the race passed the entire fleet of rear-facing sliding seat touring singles, bettering the fastest (and the class record) by seven minutes and fifty seconds.

In the real-world conditions of a 22-mile open water race, competing with some of the best open water rowers in the country, the FrontRower™ proved its ability to outperform conventional rowing systems in the same boats.

Many people have the impression that a sliding seat rig is the most efficient and fastest way to row a boat.  It is not.  In 1981, 1982 and 1983, boats with fixed seats and sliding riggers won the World Championship Men's Singles.  They were clearly faster, and by 1983 all the finalist were using fixed seats with sliding riggers.  Then they were banned.  The reason fixed seats with sliding riggers are faster is because the rower's body weight is not shifting back and forth in the boat every stroke.  There is less accelerating and decelerating of the boat and less pitching.  The FrontRower™ gets the same fixed seat advantage while developing leg power with moving pedals.  According to tests, the FrontRower™ is as much as 19% more efficient.