Day: March 13, 2013

Coxing Novice Q&A Racing

Question of the Day

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So I was watching ejector crab videos for a fun and I was wondering if someone falls out of the boat during a race should I stop or just keep going and leave them behind? I’m a novice coxswain. Thanks!

When I raced we were always told to continue racing and the launches that follow the boats would pick up the unfortunate crab catcher. Technically, I think the only person who MUST be in the boat as you cross the finish line is the coxswain. The rules though will probably vary depending on the regatta so if you’re not sure, ask at the coaches and coxswain’s meeting.

I remember hearing this story – and I tried Googling it but couldn’t find anything so who knows if it’s actually true – that said the reason why coxswains are the only member of the boat required to still be in the boat as you cross the finish line is because when coxswains first started being used, the rowers (in England, I believe) were pissed that they had to row with the dead weight so when the race started, they told the coxswain to jump out of the boat. They then rowed the  entire race without their coxswain.

What to wear: High visibility gear

Coxing Rowing

What to wear: High visibility gear

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Previously: What to wear: Coxswains (women) || What to wear: Coxswains (men) || What to wear: Rowers || Sunglasses

There was a day back in late October when my eight went out at 5:15am and it took our coach 20 minutes to find us because he couldn’t see us in the dark. I had a black coat and rain pants on, our boat is a black Resolute, and the batteries on the bow/stern lights were fading so the lights were pretty dim, which made us practically invisible to him.

Although ultimately it wasn’t a huge deal it’s still a safety risk to be on the water and not visible to other people. I have a high-vis running jacket that I started wearing over pullover or normal jacket and our bow-seat had a clip-on LED light that she’d put on the back of her hat, which was also high-vis. A lot of the scullers I see will also put LED lights on the back of their hats, along with wearing a runner’s vest or putting a strip of reflective tape on the back of their jackets.

#1 rule of coxing – better safe than sorry! Take precautions when you’re out on the water, even if it’s light when you go out or when you come in. If it’s going to be dark or the weather indicates that it’ll be foggy at any point during practice, make sure you have lights on your boat and are wearing something that will increase your visibility to other rowers, coxswains, and coaches who are out at the same time as you.

Image via // @sarahendershot