Le Bassin Olympique - The Olympic Basin

On the Island of Notre Dame in Montreal.

When I first walked into the basin, my jaw just dropped. Words cannot begin to describe the magnificence of this world class Olympic rowing facility.

We can start with the launch, set up for an efficient flow of even an armada of boats. There are three docks to launch and three to recover. There is an airport runway-sized trailer parking and boat rigging space in front of the launch area. Perfect for drive in and drive out. No crowding on lawns and mud here. No backpacks and bags getting soaked on the wet ground.

The basin accommodates 9 lanes of traffic. Both sides of the waterway are lined with paved paths for bike and roller blade equipped coaches. The wind generally blows up the channel rather than cross the channel.

There are 12 enclosed bays for multiple rowing clubs at the launch area. 

This site hosted the 2001 FISA World Masters Championships. The format for the regatta was so well run, FISA asked to copy it for future regattas. Equipment rental was available for all the participants.The island is a man made, land fill in the St. Lawrence river. There are no currents. There is no wake. The banks of the basin are slanted to absorb boat wake.

The basin has a floating dock with a 20 foot high observation tower for traffic control and observation along the course.

Pictured below is the start area. The course has the floating dock facilities to conduct, hand release fixed starts for 1,000 meter and 2,000 meter races.

The Rowing course is surrounded by the grand prix raceway and the remnants of the Montreal World Expo. Magnificent structures rise from either side of the rowing course in a testament to the US pavilion, the Russian pavilion, and the Friendship Pavilion. A beach and man-made lake adjoin the basin and are used for sailing and paddling.

The finish line is truly amazing. It has 6 or 7 tiered judges’ seats right on the finish wire as well as a control tower to manage boat traffic. 

There is an official three-flag pole area for the winners dock, built to accommodate three eights, of course. After you dock, you step up to a platform and with great ceremony stand and smile for your gold medals. I’m not making this up.

The spectator stands seem to stretch from the finish line back almost 300 meters. There appears to limitless seating capacity. The seats have a cantilevered overhang to protect against rain and ...the harsh summer sun.

Adjoining the finish line is a two-story facility. The first floor has office space for coaches and regatta officials as well as regatta registration offices that can be made available for several months in advance of the event for registration and set up. On the second floor is a large reception area for VIPs and regatta marshals, and a deck that over looks the basin.

The launch area is so massive that along the sides of the storage bays are designated areas for team tents. Just think, a row of white tents set up for each of the teams: Los Angeles, Austin, Melbourne, Sydney, Amsterdam, London, Boston, Seattle, Vancouver...the list goes on and on.

Beyond the finish line is what will really impress the alumni of Amsterdam Gay Games. The main building for the basin houses the administrative offices of the Montreal Rowing Club, the basin manager, and the equipment manager. In the hallway is a sea of pay lockers for storing your stuff. There are separate, large locker men and women’s locker rooms with enough tall lockers to hold even all of the packs and handbags and changes of clothes the English guys always seem to bring along. The shower area is separate and has several hair dryers along the wall and a drying area to ensure the changing area is not soaked and you end up changing from wet clothes to wet clothes.

The toilets and sinks are all first class with a large mirror and counterspace.

You’re not going to believe this. There is a 25 room dorm inside this building to house athletes. There is a very well equipped gym, and of course, for the Row Team Austin athletes, there is an indoor tank and 8 or 9 ergs. I counted 6 Concept Two ergs and several of those foreign jobs, as they say in Texas.

And wait, there’s more. A large cafeteria with a full service kitchen is built right into the facility so drinks and food are always at the ready. The subway stop is only about a 10 minute walk from the basin and in 15 minutes, you ascend right into the heart of the Gay Village.

I’m telling you, it doesn’t get much better than this!