If you were to rise on any breathless dawn and peer out across the glass-like surface of Harrington Sound, you would in all probability catch a glimpse of a solitary figure in the distance, scything lustily through the calmness in a 26-foot long rowing boat.

Michael Swain, a former England oarsman and competitor at the prestigious Henley regatta in the UK, is one of only a handful of active rowers on the Island who are currently in the process of establishing the Bermuda Rowing Association to "represent, promote and develop" the sport.

The Englishman, whose family have been heavily involved in rowing for generations, spoke to The Royal Gazette recently and revealed that it was in conversation with another local resident, Ernest Horvath from Switzerland, that the plan of forming a national association for the sport was first hatched.

"Ernest was coming here from Switzerland and he has rowed for his country," Swain said.

"We were put in touch by the Amateur Rowing Association in Great Britain and after we had lunch together we decided we would make a go of it."

Swain conceded that it would be by no means straightforward starting a new organisation from scratch but was adamant that the qualities demanded by the sport could exert an "extremely positive" influence on Bermuda's youth.

"I know that rowing is perfect for instilling a sense of self-discipline, camaraderie and fighting spirit and would be a valuable sport to introduce to young people in Bermuda," he said.

"It is a painful. You have to get up very early in the morning and it really does test your propensity for pain. You start off with pretty bad blisters and an aching body but I am hoping that the camaraderie and the satisfaction which can be derived from the sport will catch on. It really is wonderful once you get into it."

Although rowing is usually conducted in calmer river waters, Swain said that advances in boat technology during the last year had now made it possible to row in the sea and withstand anything up to 15-20 knots of wind.

"I've only been able to row in Bermuda for about a year now because the technology only just allows for it," he said.

"We now have carbon fibre boats which are lighter and stiffer and therefore more robust. I have my own sculling boat and I get up most mornings to row in Harrington Sound at dawn. We can cope with a significant amount of wind as long as it is not side on."

As far as his ambitions for the national rowing body are concerned, Swain said that it was "his dream" to establish a coherent junior programme in the not too distant future.

"A junior programme is obviously important because the lifeblood of any club comes from the young," he said.

"Also I know a lot of Bermudians go off to college in the States and in the UK and many of these will be rowing colleges so it would be good for them to get some grounding before they go away."

Swain also revealed that as many as 24 people had already committed to joining the club and that although they will initially have to split the costs between the membership, once they are established they will be approaching the corporate community in search of sponsorship.

Meanwhile, he concluded with a heartfelt appeal.

"People see these weird things on the water and say, 'oh, there's a kayak'," he complained.

"They then say to themselves, 'kayaks love rough water, go on, let's give them a load of wake.' They are not kayaks, they are rowing boats and we would really appreciate some decent seamanship!"