Quote:
> >> snip
> >>> I have a 24, I can handle fairly rough water in the bay but find it
> >>> difficult to negotiate transverse waves in one foot chop, usually I tack as
> >>> Charles described. Is it just a question of technique? Even in my larger
> >>> rowing craft it's difficult to adjust to broadside waves.
> >> By transverse, do you mean directly broadside? ? Yes, those are
> >> difficult
> >> in any boat. ? ?Because the whole boat rises and falls with the swell,
> >> it's difficult to find the water with your blades consistently, as
> >> well as one blade catching in a wave, and another in the trough.
> >> So your sense of 'tacking' is correct.
> >> Depending on the swell size of head-on chop, it can be more effective
> >> to tack as well.
> >> Shortening up is good, ?you should your full legs, but almost no body
> >> swing at either end when really rough, keeping your oars from getting
> >> too parallel at catch, and at finish I like to have my hands release
> >> in front of my body instead of pulled farther thru. ?If a chop hits
> >> loose my oar, I can catch the oar in front of me rather than have it
> >> go past me and flipping.
> >> When I climb back into a boat in wind/chop, ?I like to turn the boat
> >> broadside to the chop so that the wind/waves are at my back as I climb
> >> in. ?This way I'm not getting the boat bashed in my face as I'm
> >> grabbing oar handles. ? Once on the boat I'll take a couple quick
> >> short strokes on one side to get me pointed partially downwind while
> >> I'm collecting my seat and getting feet in.
> >> Here's an experiment I haven't tried yet. ? Put on lifejacket, ?go for
> >> row in heavy wind, even if not really choppy (closer to shore). ?fall
> >> in, count 5.
> >> can I catch my boat or will it blow away from me?
> > The last time I raced my Maas 24, the conditions were as described.
> > None of the fla***er singles finished the crosswind leg of the
> > course.
> > Sully: if you row alone in wind, you MUST have a lifeline.
> I'll second that advice. ?In a very moderate breeze, even an upturned
> sculling boat can move quite quickly. ?A swimmer, having close to
> neutral buoyancy, is barely moved by the wind. ?Even quite a small
> amount of wind can move the boat away faster than the swimmer can swim
> towards it. ?And we are talking about waves, which make it a whole lot
> harder for the swimmer to see & to orientate.
Waves can completely panic and disorient an
otherwise sound swimmer. A boat will blow much faster
in protected windy water, than in very rough.
The single outriggers and surfskis that go out regularly
in very rough windy bay water (they seek it), don't
tether themselves, but tether their paddles. They've
told me that they can catch their boat if they go over,
but they universally use the buddy system, they always
paddle in groups.
Neither of the clubs I teach at has a open water rowing
culture, it's all about protected water, and the club has
become very hesitant in fog anymore.
I have a clinic saturday called 'teaching beginners to row".
I'll let y'all know how it goes. My first lesson is going
to be really cool.
We'll go through the motions right away of putting an Aero
on the water and having me be "the beginner" showing me
how to get in the Aero. We'll have some hilarity as
I do everything I've ever had a beginner do under my
instruction.
However, at some appropriate point I'll fall in. And
not come up. Tide's high enough, water murky enough
that I can disappear.
Then we'll go have a chalk talk in the boathouse while
I dry off and warm up a bit for the rest of the water work.
I will have one "plant" who will know I'm doing this on purpose,
who will stay silent, and once the effect has been made will quell the
panic.
Think it's a good lesson?