Page 40: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (April 2017)

TUMSAT: More than a Rowing School

By Alan Haig Brown

Philippine-born Philippine-born

Ananya Surangpimol Ananya Surangpimol

Photo: Alan Haig-Brown at this former naval academy was being Keihin Canal from Tokyo Bay, for the 17-year-old, 93 by 15-m training ship won a required to swim a kilometer in the open ? rst time in 40 years. She was delighted was in the South Paci? c. Also operated sea and row a big 12-oar cutter in her to see a 12-oar cutter being rowed up the by TUMSAT are the 64.5-meter Shinyo- prestigious freshman year. river by students, male as well as female. maru, the 35.5-meter Seiyo-maru and

In 2003, Tokyo University of Fisher- On the shore, the same boat basin that the 19-meter Hiyodori.

ies merged with the Tokyo University she remembered from her student days Near the boat basin, a large boathouse scholarship of Mercantile Marine to form the Tokyo contained a 19-meter research and train- contained several big rowing boats. Two

University of Marine Science and Tech- ing boat. It is the smallest of four ves- of the largest, 14 meters with 14 oars to Japan nology (TUMSAT), bringing their his- sels that the university operates. The and sail, were in the boathouse while the in 1971 and, after a year of intensive tories and reputations from way back in 1,886-ton ? ag ship, Umitaka-maru, third 14-meter boat was the one that stu-

Japanese, entered Tokyo University of 1888 and 1875, respectively. Attendance was away at the time. It travels to all dents were rowing up the river. These are

Fisheries, one of the ? rst Asian women by women has increased to about 40% oceans of the world and regularly visits lovely slim vessels with the clinker style to do so in a former all-male imperial from the 1970s when it started at 2%. the Antarctic. In addition to research re- planking replicated in ? berglass. Next to university. There she completed a mas- Recently, Surangpimol, now a Thai sponsibilities, the vessel is used to teach them are three nine-meter carvel-style ? - ter’s degree in food science but one of citizen, returned to her old Shinagawa advanced courses of ? sheries and ocean berglass boats. These boats have no sail her favorite memories of her attendance campus, located a short distance up the navigation. In February of this year, the but are manned by 12 oarsmen. A num- ber of smaller vessels are to be found amidst a profusion of nautical fenders, oars, supplies and even racing trophies.

Busy with cleaning and tidying, while their crewmates were out rowing, a young couple, Yamada Masafumi and

Tsukada Kaoru took time to explain the current role of rowing at the university.

Yamada, who is a rowing-team member, explained that they have competitions with other marine universities in Ja- pan. The two-kilometer races turn at the halfway mark and then return over the same one-kilometer course. The boats

Unitaka-maru: with a length of 93-meters sails the Paci? c, Indian, and Antarctic Oceans teaching advanced courses in ? sheries, marine technology and ocean navigation.

Photo: Courtesy of TUMSAT 40 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • APRIL 2017

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