Greater Victoria Youth Rowing Society based in the Elk Lake Rowing Boathouse
GVYRS - Rowing Introduction & Glossary
Regattas
A regatta is a championship race that is rowed over 2,000 metres (1 mile, 427yards) in which the boats are lined up in six straight, buoyed lanes. There can be as many as four rounds: heats, repechanges, semi-finals and finals. The regpechange round is for crews who have lost in the heats. This means that every crew that has lost in the heats has a second chance to advance before being eliminated.
There are to two styles of rowing, Sweep-Oar rowing and Sculling.
Sweep-Oar involves rowers each having only one oar which is held with both hands. This can be done with pairs, fours and eights.
In Sculling each rower has two oars, one for each hand. Sculling can be done in singles, doubles or quads and is typically performed without a Coxswain.
Rowing shells were traditionally constructed out of wood but are now more frequently made of carbon fibre and kevlar. A fin is built into the bottom of the shells for stability. Except for sculling boats, a rudder is fitted to the fin or the stern. A ball is attached to the bow of the boat, known as a bow ball. These balls prevent the boat from puncturing object or people in case of collision and also aid in determining the winner in a photo finish. A washboard averts water from splashing into the shell. The seats in the shells have wheels installed which run on tracks. The oars are hollowed out to reduce weight and are attached to the boat by moveable out riggers.
Basic Boat Types
Single - Four weight classes available
Pair/Double
Coxed four
Four/Quad
Eight
Glossary of Rowing Terms
- Bow: The forward section of the boat. The first part of the boat to cross the finish line. The person in the seat closest to the bow, who crosses the finish line first.
- Button: A wide collar on the oar that keeps it from slipping through the oarlock.
- Coxswain: Person who steers the shell and is the on-the-water coach for the crew.
- Deck: The part of the shell at the bow and stern that is covered with fiberglass cloth or a thin plastic.
- Gate: The bar across the oarlock that keeps the oar in place.
- Oar: Used to drive the boat forward: rowers do not use paddles.
- Port: Left side of the boat, while facing forward, in the direction of the movement.
- Rigger: The triangular shaped metal device that is bolted onto the side of the boat and holds the oars.
- Run: The run is the distance the shell moves during one stroke. You can figure it by looking for the distance between the puddles made by the same oar.
- Sculls: One of the two disciplines of rowing – the one where scullers use two oars or sculls.
- Shell: Can be used interchangeably with boat.
- Starboard: Right side of the boat, while facing forward, in the direction of movement.
- Stern: The rear of the boat; the direction the rowers are facing.
- Stroke: The rower who sits closest to the stern. The stroke sets the rhythm for the boat; others behind him must follow his cadence.
- Swing: The hard-to-define feeling when near-perfect synchronization of motion occurs in the shell, enhancing the performance and speed.
