NOVEL STYLE OF ROWING

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17095, 30 October 1929, Page 3

NOVEL STYLE OF ROWING

THAMES EXPERIMENT OARS WORK IN SUCCESSION y LONDON, Sept. 14. An eight, rowecl by six Hien, apparently hopelessly, out of time, has given rise' to much comment, in the neighborhood of Putney. Although the nninitiajted onlookers recall the rowing they have seen on the Serpentine and on the lake in Regent’s Park on a Bank Holiday, the oarsmen are no mere novices let loose in an eight. They are" some of the most experienced members of the London Rowing (lub, and they are trying out an experiment which may revolutionise rowing. With a crew rowing in the orthodox manner there is no driving power in the interval between the strokes. In other words, during the period of recovery the boat must travel by the momentum imparted t 6 it. As a result. between each stroke there is a slowing down. Many efforts have have been made to overcome this. . The method which is being tried by the London Rowing Club is not new, but it has never been fully worked out before. It was suggested by a member who thought the experiment might bo carried out during the “close” season. Briefly it is this—instead of the crew pulling together they pull in pairs in succession; stroke and seven; then five and four, and finally two and bow. The seats of six and three are vacant. By- this system the boat is never without driving power, there always being one pair of oars in the water. To take an analogy, it is the difference between a single cylinder and a multicylinder engine. ‘ The captain of the London Rowing Club said the new style showed every indication of being a success, and in that case would certainly be put forward as a new method of propelling a boa t.