France has been organising national coastal rowing championships since 1901, with a long gap between 1966 and 1997.

A resurgence of interest in coastal rowing was noted in 1980 when the first Frenchman Gérard d'Aboville crossed the Atlantic in a rowing boat. Five years later, coastal rowing clubs and challenges began to spring up nationwide.

Before reinstating a national championship in 1997, the French Rowing Federation (FFSA) decided to standardise coastal rowing at a national level.

With the standardisation of rules came the standardisation of boats, which allowed coastal rowers who competed locally, each in their traditional boats with their own set of rules, to finally begin meeting up and competing with fellow coastal rowers from around the country.

The French model has been used as a stepping stone to international competition, with its standards being adapted to a relatively new World Rowing event, the World Rowing Coastal Challenge.

Denis Masseglia, Chairman of the Rowing for All Commission at the International Rowing Federation (FISA) and Secretary General of the French Olympic Committee has worked very hard towards this goal along with the members of his commission. "Coastal rowing offers FISA a great potential for development," he says.

The next step will be its recognition as Olympic sports in the near future.