Should I make corrections to my point (using bow pair) while the coach is speaking? I always feel rude but the boat sometimes drifts off!
You can as long as you’re not distracting everyone else. Most coaches won’t have a problem with this (and the ones that do are clearly clueless) so if you see that you’re drifting or being blown by the wind, go ahead and make the correction. Speak just loud enough to be heard but not so loud that you’re talking over your coach. Keep whatever you say short and to the point as well. “Bow, gimme two strokes…” gets the job done. If your coach is talking to your bow pair or bow four, wait a minute until he’s done so as to not distract them unless you’re in a potentially dangerous situation (drifting onto some rocks, being blown by a strong crosswind into shore, etc.). If he’s having a long conversation with them about something, speak loudly into your mic and say something like “hey coach, I’m drifting into the rocks so I’m gonna row it out…” and then have your bow 4 or whoever take you out and away from whatever the issue is. Do this quickly so as to not waste time and so he can get back to coaching.
Another thing I’ll do if my coach is talking to bow pair is have either stroke or 7-seat back it, which will accomplish the same thing. This is really the only time I use them to get my point though and it’s only if we’re in open water, not right on shore or anything. If I need a stroke from 2-seat then I’ll have 7-seat back it and if I need one from bow then I’ll have stroke back it. Sometimes this is the easiest way to do it because you don’t have to use your mic to talk to them, which means you won’t distract everyone else in the process.
