The tradition of this sport comes from yesteryear, when fishermen had to row until they searched for schools of fish on the high seas. Once they caught the catch, they rushed to get to port first, in order to better sell their catch.
They also used to drag ships to enter difficult ports, such as Pasaia or Bilbao.
Apparently in 1854 during the San Juan festivities, three trawlers from Pasaia held the first competition, with the winner being the trawler from San Pedro.
Given the great fans created, the Donostia City Council organized the first Bandera de la Concha in 1879. Since then, the traditional regatta has been held on the first two Sundays in September.
Betting on regattas has always been a very important part of the “party” and has ruined quite a few families, who bet a lot of money, and in some cases even the village.
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