In July 1925 two Danish Oarsmen, Emil Olskov-Hansen and Niels Ventegodt of the "Viking" Rowing Club, Langturs, Denmark, rowed across the North Sea in an open Yole pair boat and were guests of the Kent Rowing clubs.

They presented a Shield to be competed for annually by pairs crews from those Kent clubs, an event that has now grown into a full pre-season Regatta with the Viking Shield Race as the main event.