Friday, June 19, 2009

The Hidden Hoist

While in Venice my family and I stayed in an apartment in Dorsoduro near the Zattere fondamenta.
Each morning I would take the Vaporetto to Piazzale Roma to catch a bus to Mestre where my rowing club is.

The first time I caught sight of this hoist, there were boats and people there but my camera was deep in my backpack.

Each time after that, I would have it ready and the place would be empty.
Finally, on the last day of our stay, there was a mascareta there and I snapped a shot.
Here's a close-up:
Bepi Penzo at the GSVVM said this hoist is usually used by members of a rowing club by the name of "Ferrovia" - no doubt the name indicates that they are close to the train station.

I was looking through all of my photos after returning home, and found another shot of the "hidden hoist"...taken by my daughter Cassandra.

Here it is:

It looks like she got a better shot than I did.

I've heard it said that Venice has around 65 rowing clubs now.
For me, that number is currently unverified, but even if it's half that - there are a lot of clubs out there. And is evidenced by this photo, you never know where you'll find them.


Nereo Zane said...

Have a look at
It's a list of rowing clubs, most of them located in the Venice area.

René Seindal said...

The name Ferrovia would to me imply a club for workers at the italian railroads, not just geographical proximity to the station.

It doesn't look like a very nice put-in. That's a seriously busy canal, at least if I'm right and the photo is taken between S.Marta and S.Chiara.

Too bad we didn't meet during the Vogalonga days, but I was just as busy as you were. I lost many other occasions too :-(


Gondola Greg said...

Ciao Nereo!
I checked out the list on before I wrote this post, and found no such listing.
I'm not certain that the name is correct, but Bepi Penzo of the GSVVM was the one who told me. It might not be the correct name, but rather a "nickname" for the club that launches there.

René: I was sad that I didn't get to meet you this time, but I'm sure we'll get another chance to have a drink together, whether in Venice or somewhere else.
Thanks for the input on the Ferrovia name, I hadn't thought about a railroad worker's club but it's certainly possible.
As for the placement of the hoist - I believe it is located next to the bridge as it turns towards Piazzale Roma.
There's definitely a lot of traffic there. Heck! The vaporettos rip through there all day long!

Tamas Feher from Hungary said...

Hello! What is the main reason behind Venice's preference of hoists or cranes for ship launch, rather than cart-ramps with winches? It looks easy to break a boat in half if the lift is not perfect or the straps are misaligned.

Lack of available space may be one reason, but the Mestre club also had the hoist.

Nereo said...

You're right René: the correct name should be "Dopolavoro Ferroviario" and it isn't a "real" rowing club but a group of employes of the italian railroad company fan of "voga alla veneta".

Bepi Venexiano said...


Dopolavoro Ferrovia, Does it mean "after cleaning the Railroad"?
Thanks again for driving my family back to the city.
Ciao. Bepi

René Seindal said...

Tamas Feher, my guess is that the tide makes ramps less attractive. At low tide the lower part of the ramp will be very slippery due to the fine sediment that settles there, and due to the algae that will grow on the lower part.

As a kayaker in Venice I know very well how slippery the lower steps of a stair can be at low tide, and a ramp will be even worse, not even offering a level surface.

A hoist will work equally well at low and high tide.

There are some ramps around Venice, for public use, but I rarely see anybody use them. Squeri and similar places often have ramps or slopes on front of them for taking boats up and down, where they also double as work spaces.

I'm sure some of the Venetians here will be able to explain it a lot better.

Tamas Feher from Hungary said...

René, thanks for the clarification! Indeed I forgot about the effect of tide changes... Sorry for that!