Off the Water
Before you carry the boat:
-Put water bottles down by the pontoon
-Get Cox Box and Speed Coach
-Know what the workout is:
‘ Which way are we going?’
‘ What exercises should we do?’
Carrying the Boat:
-Stand at the back of the boat to direct them out
-Only you talk
-When getting the boat out this is what to say:
‘ Hands On…2, 3 lift.’
‘ Half Turn’ to walk boat out of bay
‘Level it out.’ To ‘Waist Height’ when out of the shed
-When putting the boat on the water:
‘ Half turn’ towards the water.
Call each rower on water side to come under 1 at a time while the others hold it
‘ Feel with your toes…reach out & Place.’
‘ Stroke & 2 get the oars, Bow & 3 pin the boat.’
-Put blades in, in pairs:
Stoke & 2 inside blades and pin while Bow & 3 outside blades. (then swap)
Stoke & 2 sit in the boat and grab blade from seat behind them. (cox gets in)
Bow & 3 grab outside blades one foot on the centerboard and push off.
Clothing for Everyday
-Sunglasses for glare
-Two sets of clothing for hot and cold weather
-Wet weather gear
Steering and Rudder
The idea is to keep the boat on a straight course for as long as possible
Make sure you:
-Have a point to aim for
-Use the rudder as little as possible
-When you have to turn, give yourself time to turn gradually.
Remember: The best way to counter a situation is to anticipate it before it occurs!
General Rules
-Pass stroke side to stroke side
-The boat over taking has the right of way
-Boat getting overtaken should move to its right
-Boats on a marked rowing course have the right of way
-Do not stop in the way of or impede traffic
-Crews at race pace get right of way.
-Give way to unpowered boats (i.e. sailing boats)
-Use your common sense
Using the Rudder
Although the rudder is small it is designed so that only a small amount of angle is needed to turn the boat
Rudder Rules
Faster the boat is going- The less rudder is needed
The Slower the boat is going- The more rudder is needed
-Remember that after you turn the rudder the boat will keep moving around so stop turning before the point your aiming for
-Use the rudder as little as possible
-Turn the boat when the blades are in the water
-Don’t turn jerkingly
-The action of the rudder is never immediate
Turning with pressures
Sometimes the turn needed needs to faster than what the rudder can provide so you use unequal pressure on either side to turn.
Call ‘Row harder on bowside easy it off on strokeside’ or vise versa.
On The Water
Safety
Whether during training or racing – never endanger the boat or crew:
-Never go out of Iron Cove unless a coach is with you
-Keep an eye on the weather conditions (We never row in a thunder storm)
-Tell coach of breakage’s in the boat
-Always keep a level head and a calm voice
Wash
When rowing in open water you will often be sharing the waters with all sorts of craft from sailing vessels to ferries that produce rolling waves called WASH.
When encountering wash you have 2 choices:
- If the wash is higher than the gunwale (top off the boat), stop the boat before it hits and get parallel to it.
- If the wash is not that large keep rowing but call the wash before it hits to warn the crew. The call would be:
‘ Wash coming in on bow/strokeside…wash on bow/strokeside this stroke now.’
Avoiding accidents
-If collision is imminent the call is ‘Easy all, check it hard.’
-Abide by traffic rules
-Do not stop on a narrow part of the water (e.g. under a bridge)
-Do not stop in front of moving boats
General Calls
-‘Back it Down’ – Row backwards
-‘Check the Boat’ – Stop the boat by squaring blades in water
-‘Come Forward’ – Bring rowers to the catch ready to row
-‘Easy All’ – Crew to stop rowing
-‘Hands On’ – Brings crew to attention ready to carry the boat
-‘Are you ready…Row/Tap’ – Command to commence rowing/tapping
-‘Tap it round on stroke/bow side’ – Order to tap round
Cox as Coach
Out of everyone the cox is in the best position to observe the blade work of the rowers. As you improve in steering and general calls your coach will expect you to start to focus on the technical aspects of each rower.
Listen and Learn
You can start with basic aspects such as crew timing and oar heights. As you learn more about rowing and each rower’s weaknesses you can work on specific technique improvements. Knowing what to look for and what to say to fix the fault is important.
But Remember ALWAYS Stay Positive
Race Day
Off the Water
On the day the cox is the most important person in the crew and has a number of jobs before you even go out to race. You have to:
-Weigh-in with race officials
-Get Lane Number
-Organize Cox Box and Speed Coach
-Organize the crew for warm-up and to be on the water on time
-Know the race plan BACK to Front
On the Water
It is the cox’s responsibility to take the crew through their pre-race warm-up and still be lined up behind the race start 10 minutes before the scheduled time of the race