THE COXSWAIN'S DUTIES.

Press, Volume XLV, Issue 7242, 31 December 1888, Page 3

THE COXSWAIN'S DUTIES.

By Abgo.

In tny previous articles I have devoted my energies to the oarsmen. I mean now to say something about that important, though minute personage in the boat—the coxswain. In selecting a coxswain, weight, nerve and skill of hand are the predominating qualifications. Though a coxswain is seldom a practical oarsman, yet he soon picks up a very considerable theoretical knowledge of what rowing should be, and often develops into a very efficient coach. A coxswain should give his command in a loud voice of authority. A youth is often reticent in opening his mouth, or giving hia orders in anything approaching a commanding voice. It is but natural he should feel his own physical inferiority, but if properly taken in hand he soon picks up the proper amount of authority, and .is pleased to-find that the qualities that he might at first consider as impudence or arrogance are the very things which are most required of him. At first he feels guilty of " cheek' in telling some oarsman in good standing that he is out of time or cocking. He feels as if he should hardly be surprised at a retort to teach his grandmother, &c. "but on the contrary the admonition is, if the sermon has any qualifications whatever, meekly accepted, and thereupon the pilot begins to pick up courage. A coxswain too has the advantage of both hearing the admonitions of the coach and seeing how the men in front do or do not apply them ; he often too paddles about on his own account when his duties are over, and it is a curions fact that coxswains, when they row at all, generally row in very good The coxswain should sit with a straight back, inciined forwards, and not allow nis body to sway either sideways or backwards and forwards more than he canihelp. His legs should be crossed under him, he should hold the rudder lines just tight enough to feel the rudder, and rest his hand on the gunwale just opposite to his hips; the line should for safety be turned round his palms; the rudder should be put on heaviest when the oars are out of the water and always slackened and sometimes taken completely off when the oara dip into the water. It used to be said of Mr G. L. Davis, the renowned Cambridge coxswain, who by the way was in Christchurch a few years ago, that his skill and delicate touch was so perfect that the men in his eight very seldom knew whether or not he had the rudder on. The usual formula adapted by the coxswain, is to set a boat in motion, "get forward," then "ready," and then "go' if racing, "row" if rowing, and " paddle' if practising, as the case may be. The word "off is seldom used for boat-racing. To stop a boat the freshwater formula is always "easy all" usually given asb he oars are just coming into the chest the men will always complete the stroke in so far as dropping and getting the hands away and bringing the body up to the perpendicular. If the way is to be suddenly checked the command is " Hold her all, given immediately after the " easy all," when the men will allow their blades to immediately run under the water, and if it be "Hold her up hard" they will let them run under and slightly turn them. The coxswain's other command is " Back water " when required, in which case, if the boat have any back way on her, he should stiffen both rudder lines and keep his rudder perfectly straight, or allow it very slightly to incline in the direction he wishes the stenrof the boat to travel. In going round corners the coxswain ehould select land-marks to steer by, he should keep out the first part of the corner, and endeavour to shave the inside of the last few feet of the corner; by this means the stream which is always greatest in the middle of the river, will catch the nose of the boat and thereby of its own accord turn the boat without the use of nearly so much rudder as would be required if the midstream course were taken. A coxswain should coax the boat with his rudder, that is, use as little rudder as possible, and never put on so much rudder one way that the bow of the boat will overshoot the required line and more rudder will have to be put on to bring it back again to its required course. On still water the coxswain should select some object on which he should keep the bow bearing, he should quickly but gently anticipate any endeavours of the boat to leave its required course. If a side wind be blowing, it is always advisable to hoist a wind sail in the bows to prevent them bearing round towards the wind. The wind sail generally cousists of a thin light piece of wood, say for a pair about 3ft long and 6inches deep tapering off towards the bow, and fixed along the centre of the boat at the bow. This is better than a piece of tin under the stern, firstly, because it does not stop the way on the boat by offering any resistance, and, secondly, tin doesjaot stop the bows turning towards the wind, it only checks them, and a rudder has to be used in addition to the tin.