Another First Salute?

Christiansborg Palace seat of the Danish parliament. (Alf van Beem) 

The parliament and, in particular, the government of Denmark on Tuesday, May 12, 2015, gave their support for a motion supporting a democratic and peaceful dialogue between Catalonia and Spain with respect to Catalonia's aspirations to self-determination. During a debate seven of the eight political parties represented in the Danish parliament supported the motion. A vote on the final text was to be be held on May 19. This unprecedented debate by a national European governing body has perturbed the Spanish government which has been trying to counter attempts by the Generalitat, or the government of Catalonia, to promote the cause of self-determination on the world stage. With the actions of the Danish parliament the Spanish government is faced with a situation where a foreign government has given de-facto recognition to the Catalan independence movement. This is something that the Spanish government dreads. Instead of remaining a purely domestic affair the debate on Catalan independence is on the verge of becoming an international affair. This sort of de-facto recognition on the part of the Danish parliament recalls a curious incident that occurred 250 years ago. In that incident a representative of the Dutch government for the first time officially saluted a vessel flying the flag of the United States of America that had recently declared its independence from Great Britain.

On November 16, 1776, the brig Andrew Doria sailed into the open and exposed anchorage opposite Fort Orange on the island of St Eustatius, a Dutch colony in the Caribbean. The Andrew Doria was flying the Continental Congress flag, the forerunner of the Stars and Stripes. A few weeks earlier on July 4, 1776, the United States had unilaterally declared its independence from Great Britain. The Andrew Doria, a small converted merchantman, was one of the first four ships of the American navy. As the vessel sailed into the anchorage it fired a thirteen-gun salute, one for each of the thirteen American colonies that had declared independence. In return, and in accordance with international custom at the time, the guns of Fort Orange fired an eleven-gun salute.

The man who ordered the return salute was the island's governor Johannes de Graaff. The firing of a few guns as a salute may seem like an innocuous event but within the strict naval customs of the time it had significant meaning. By his action the governor recognised the flag of an independent and sovereign nation, the United States of America. It is very likely that de Graaff's action went against the wishes of the government back in the Netherlands that was wary of upsetting the British. On the other hand, the visit of the Andrew Doria was also of some importance to the tiny Dutch colony. What was generally not appreciated at the time, and remains so even today, was that St. Eustatuis played a small but very important role in the denouement of the American revolutionary war in more ways than one.

The incident of the salute itself has over the years turned into somewhat of a legend, yes it did happen, but perhaps it was not the first instance of an acknowledgement of the American revolutionary flag. There is some evidence that in October 1776 an American merchantman received a salute from the then Danish island of St. Croix now part of the American Virgin Islands. More recently the St. Eustatius incident was used by the American historian Barbara Tuchman as the opening scene of her last published book The First Salute: A View of the American Revolution (1988) an account of American Revolution's influence on the 18th century. In her book Tuchman wrote that, “In its responding salute the small voice of St. Eustatius was the first officially to greet the largest event of the century—the entry into the society of nations of a new Atlantic state destined to change the direction of history.” Whether the American Revolution was the 18th century's defining event is debatable, the French revolution also comes to mind, but it was certainly significant. And just as certain, the little Dutch colony's response to the American revolution was not without repercussions to itself.

The USS Andrew Doria taking the salute from the St. Eustatius garrison, from a painting by Phillips Melville.
 She flies on her stern the Continental Congress flag and at the masthead the Dutch courtesy flag.
 (U.S. Navy Art Collection, Washington D.C.) 

At the start of the American War of Independence the Dutch were of course neutral but their colonies in the West Indies provided the American rebels with one of their few sources of arms and ammunition. The British, who were careful not to set up an arms industry in their restless American colonies lest it fell into the wrong hands, imported their munitions from the mother country. As a result the American revolutionaries had to find overseas sources for munitions. Their problem was that the Royal Navy controlled most of the sea lanes to and from Europe. One of the routes that the British were unable to stop completely was through St. Eustatius. Arms were smuggled from the Netherlands aboard Dutch or other neutral ships to St. Eustatius and then transferred to smugglers for transshipment to the American mainland. The British were aware of this. But, in an age where ships were dependant on the fickle winds blockading the islands was no easy task. This was was especially true since a large part of the British navy was at that moment more concerned with the direct sea approaches to the thirteen rebellious colonies. In fact, the purpose of the Andrew Doria's visit to St. Eustatius was to purchase arms and take them back to the rebels. When the vessel was given an “official” welcome it raised the stakes as far as the British were concerned, and they had to do something.

Although the salute may have seemed a minor incident it was of great concern to the British as can be gauged by their reaction to it. At first there were, of course, diplomatic protests made to the government of the Netherlands. The governor, de Graaff, was recalled to the Netherlands where he had to explain his actions. The Dutch government could not have disapproved too much because de Graaff was returned to his post on St. Eustatius. With the continuation of the rebellion in their American colonies the British resorted to more military efforts to stop the trade in arms coming out of the Dutch colonies in general, and St Eustatius in particular. From the British point of view it was very important that the arms trade in the Caribbean be stopped. According to some sources the majority of the arms reaching the American colonies were transshipped from St. Eustatius. The island and de Graaff thus played an important military role in the American Revolution. Tuchman wrote that governor de Graaff, “[b]y intentionally encouraging, in defiance of his own government, the Dutch trade in military armament to the [American] Colonies, the Governor assured the continuance of shipments from St. Eustatius, a critical factor in saving the American Revolution at its frail beginnings from starvation of firepower.”

Eventually the deterioration of relations between Great Britain and the Netherlands led to the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War (1780-1784) when the British declared war on the Dutch. Soon after the declaration, in February 1781, the British occupied St. Eustatius when they sent overwhelming naval and army forces to the island. De Graaff who was still governor was at the time unaware that a state of war existed but he surrendered without resistance. There was only a small Dutch garrison on the island and it was no match for the British. Despite the peaceful surrender once in control the British devastated the island. The British also came into possession of the account books of various merchants and discovered to their consternation that some British businessmen had also been supplying the American rebels. The British occupation of the island lasted only ten months because late in 1781 the French, by then allies of the Dutch and of the American revolutionaries, captured the island in turn. Under the terms of peace the island returned to Dutch sovereignty in 1784 under which it remains to this day.

When the American Revolution flared up in 1775 the government of the Netherlands was careful of not upsetting the British and did not get involved. However, there was a curious mutual attraction between the Dutch public and the American revolutionaries. Although by late 18th century the Dutch republic was much weakened and past its former glory it remained an inspiration for the American rebels. The Dutch republic had also been born of a struggle against tyranny in this case by decades of war against Spain during the 16th and 17th centuries. For the Dutch who recalled their own wars for independence the struggle of the American colonies fighting for the same elicited much sympathy for the revolutionaries. On the other hand the British themselves did much to garner sympathy for the American revolutionaries in particular by the Royal Navy's high-handed behaviour on the open seas. As the most powerful navy in the world it stopped and searched at will neutral ships much to the annoyance of many governments.

There is a common thread between the Catalan debate in the Danish parliament and the incident at St. Eustatius two and half centuries ago. What is in theory an internal “Spanish” affair has suddenly attracted the attention of outsiders. This attention confers to one of the parties a level of legitimacy, of recognition, that the other party has been trying to avoid. Soon after the debate the Spanish embassy in Denmark downplayed its importance. It claimed that all of the Danish political groups in favour of the motion said that the debate between Catalonia and Madrid is strictly “an internal affair” within Spain. Well, perhaps it is, but if more parliaments both within Europe and around the world were open to discussing the claim of Catalan self-determination then perhaps the Spanish government will have to explain its unwillingness to deal democratically with Catalonia's aspirations. After all, the motion in the Danish parliament calls for nothing more radical than for a democratic and peaceful debate. Catalan self-determination only depends on the will of the Catalan public but gaining acceptance from other nations will make it easier to achieve.

Fixed-Seat Rowing Technique

Los remeros (the Oarsmen) by Manuel Losada

 

There is a dearth of literature on the technique of fixed-seat rowing despite the fact that are many examples of fixed-seat rowing boats including Basque traineras, Welsh cogs, English skiffs, Faroese grindabatars or whale boats, Irish currachs, Australian surfboats, Quebec ice canoes and Catalan llaguts. There are other boats types with a more international scope such as the Atlantic Challenge longboats that are based on 18^th century naval gigs. Most of these boats have origins linked to specific climatic, geographic and cultural elements. For example, the French-Canadian ice canoe originated from crossing the St Lawrence River during the winter, which because of the strong currents and tides rarely freezes solid. The Catalan llgaut was born of the necessity of launching fishing boats off the beaches of a coast with few natural harbours. Whale chasing in the Bay of Biscay is the basis of the Basque traineras. As with many aspects of everyday life in the past from the point of view of documenting, recording and explaining traditional rowing, little appears in contemporary literature. And it is a situation that continues today.

 

In contrast to fixed-seat rowing, the literature on the technique of sliding-seat rowing is extensive. Part of the reason for this disparity is probably that sliding-seat rowing is an Olympic sport. Rowing races go back to antiquity but it was not until early in the 19^th century that boat racing became an organised competitive sport in British clubs and universities. It was not until the 1870s when the sliding-seat was invented, in the United States, with the intent of deploying more of the power from the leg muscles. Once the sliding-seat appeared, universities and clubs quickly made the change. From the later part of the 19^th century and into the 20^th sliding-seat rowing spread to most western nations and became part of the Olympic movement. But the sliding seat added a complication to the rowing stroke—how to keep the hands clear of the knees. It was a problem that was quickly and elegantly solved. To impart that solution to the wider rowing world, very soon after the introduction of sliding seats, texts on rowing technique began to be appear. Moreover, there were variations in the technique of sliding seat rowing and various authors wanted to explain their particular approaches.

 

With the growing importance of Olympic sports especially after the second world war there was a natural impetus to better understand the physics of how a sliding-seat boat is propelled and how to make it go faster. While sliding-seat rowing remained a truly amateur sport the interest in such research remained relatively low key. Gradually, however, through the 1960s and 1970s the amount of scientific research increased. It was given a tremendous impetus by the rise of the East German sports machine in the 1960s. That country's obsession with sporting prowess pushed scientific research into all sports, including rowing, to new levels and led investigators in other countries to emulate that research. Of course, all of these factors implied that more and more books, pamphlets and other texts on rowing technique appeared throughout the 20th century.

 

Meanwhile traditional rowing remained just that, traditional, with a few aficionados here and there who continued to row their particular boats outside of the limelight. There was little scientific research directed specifically at fixed-seat rowing, in fact, a situation that continues to this day. That is not to say that traditional fixed-seat rowing did not profit from the advances in sliding-seat rowing, it did. This is especially true in the matter of materials such as the use of fibre-glass, carbon fibre and other synthetic materials used in the making of boats and oars. Today there are few manufacturers of “traditional” boats and oars that continue to use wood.

 

Of course there is no reason why modern training methods developed for sliding-seat rowing cannot be adapted to fixed-seat rowing. Any coach training the crew of a llagut or trainera cannot help but benefit from an examination of training methods used by Olympic-style rowing crews. However, it is important to keep in mind the differences between the two types of rowing. Fixed-seat rowing is usually conducted on the open sea or large lakes and rivers where conditions are very different from what is usually the case for sliding-seat rowing which is limited to calm weather and protected waters.

 

Even after the switch to sliding-seats many British rowing clubs that focused exclusively on racing continued to teach the basics of rowing in fixed-seat boats. Some coaches were of the opinion that learning to row properly in fixed seat boats could be helpful for novices before advancing to sliding seat boats. British rowing clubs in the late 19^th century would have several fixed-seat “tubs” for teaching the fundamentals. Such boats disappeared from English rowing clubs by the time of the First World War and were never much used in other countries. This interest in fixed-seat rowing as a step to perfecting sliding-seat rowing is obvious in R.C. Lehmann's classic book Rowing first published in 1898. While the book is mainly concerned with the technique of sliding-seat rowing Lehmann has some interesting comments on the art of fixed-seat rowing that are worth reading. Keeping in mind this lack of literature on fixed-seat rowing it might be useful to offer a few comments on the technique of fixed-seat rowing.

 

An image from the book Rowing by R.C. Lehmann (1898)

 

 

For convenience of discussion the rowing stroke is usually divided into the drive and the recovery phases which are demarcated by the catches and finishes. Of course, each stroke is part of a continuous, seamless cycle that has no start or finish. It is during the drive phase, with the oar blade immersed in the water and the rower applying force to the oar handle, that the boat is propelled forward. During the recovery, with the oars out of the water, the rowers can relax somewhat as they prepare for the next drive phase. It seems a fairly simple sequence of actions. In fact, looked at closely, propelling a boat by the use of oars is a complex exercise. The rower must perform a number of specific actions at the appropriate moments while blending them into a continuous sequence that must be maintained as one stroke flows into the next. And, each oarsman must be in perfect synchronisation with the rest of the crew, while his body is under a high level of physiological stress.

 

If the boat, the crew and the oars are considered to be a single system requiring an intricate set of actions undertaken at precise moments in order move the whole, one then realizes how complex moving a boat through the water is. Because of this complexity it is essential that the crew members work in synchronization because any small deviation by anyone will check the boat's run through the water. While it is especially important that the catches and finishes be in perfect time, it is also important that the bodies of the crew swing backwards and forwards in unison. Of course it is not that simple. A boat out on the open sea suffering the vagaries of wind and waves will be impeded in its forward motion and tossed about. Under such conditions there will be missed strokes, wash outs and crabs but a good crew with experience can deal with such conditions by quickly adapting or compensating. This ability to adapt comes only from constantly training together as a crew.

 

An ice canoe on the St Lawrence River.

 

 

The Fixed-Seat Rowing Stroke

 

Before examining the stroke a few points should be kept in mind. The rower should be seated comfortably on the aft edge of the bench, or seat, with the feet shoulder-width apart and the balls of the feet resting on the foot stretcher. The feet should be lower than the seat—with the top of the toes no higher than the lowest point of the seat. The rower should push off with the balls of the feet in the same way that a cyclist pushes a pedal, using only the forward part of the foot. If the rower pushes off with the arch of the foot, in addition to being uncomfortable and ineffective, the toes may interfere with the oar handle especially in rough water conditions. Power should is applied equally through both feet. The position of the bench and foot-stretcher should be adjusted so that the knees are slightly bent at the catch position—as the rowers lays back during the drive the knees will straighten. The position of bench and foot-stretcher relative to the thole pin should be adjusted so that the rowers knees are in line with the thole pin. This is an adjustment that requires the eye of the coach and should be done with the whole crew in consideration.

 

The oar handle is held with the fingers not the palms of the hands. The fingers placed loosely on the top of the handle while the thumbs are on the underside. The hands are one to two hand-widths apart. The little finger of the hand at the end of the handle should coincide with the end of the handle or else leverage will be lost. If the hands are too far apart the centre of effort will move away from the end of the handle with a resultant loss of leverage. During the drive the wrists are flat—the forearm and the back of the hand forming a straight line. This is very important because if the wrists are bent the tendency is to grip the oar too tightly, possibly causing the forearms to seize up. The hands, or more accurately the fingers, act to transmit the power generated by the back, shoulders and upper arms to the oar and bending the wrists means that the forearms will be tremendously stressed.

 

In addition to its technical aspects rowing is a sport of endurance and strength. Not all crews are out to race, many simply row for the pleasure of being out on the water. But having a basic level of fitness including endurance and strength will add to the enjoyment of the sport. Simply going out and rowing will increase fitness levels but if a crew is serious about racing it may be necessary to undergo additional training such as running, weight lifting, ergo-meter training, etc. A crew with the help of its coach must assess its goals, and answer the basic question: what are its objectives? If it is to simply row for pleasure two or three times week it is not likely that additional training is necessary or even desirable. However, if a crew has the goal of competing and winning specific races then a rigorous training program may be necessary. In any case, whatever a crew's objectives or fitness level they should strive to develop and maintain good technique.

 

A Catalan llagut racing on the Orio River in the Basque country.

 

 

The Catch

 

A decisive and quick entry, or catch, is one of the most important elements of rowing technique but mastering it is the most technically difficult aspect of the stroke. That is due to the rower's relatively unstable position at the catch position—bent forward from the waist with arms outstretched. It is much easier to achieve a quick catch rowing at half-stroke where the body is more upright. During the recovery as the rower's body swings forward from the hips the hands reach the ankles—any further simply results in over reaching and needlessly stresses the lower back—the blade enters the water quickly and cleanly. This is done by simply raising the arms and hands, with the arms pivoting up from the shoulders.

 

The catch is critically important as it is the transition between the recovery and the drive phases—when the bodies of the crew change direction from astern to bow. That change in direction must coincide with the catch or else the boat's run will be checked. With a quick catch the blades will enter the water cleanly, with no back splash and no unnecessary checking of the boat. The quick catch is followed a gradual acceleration of the oar throughout the drive to the finish. Only the blade of the oar needs to be immersed during the drive. Going too deep with the blade is ineffective as it can cause the oar to crab at the finish and it will slow the boat. On the other hand if only part of the blade is immersed the oar will tend to wash out making for a weak and ineffective drive.

 

A Basque trainera from an old postcard.

 

 

The Drive

 

Once the blade is immersed the muscles of lower back contract providing most of the power for the drive but especially until the body swings back to the vertical position. This implies the need for strong back and abdominal muscles—the stronger the better. The body swings through an arc from the lean forward, to the vertical position and finishing with the lay-back. In fixed-seat rowing the lay-back is much more pronounced than in sliding-seat technique. The arms remain straight until the body has reached the vertical position. It is only then that the arms really come into play and contribute to powering the stroke. The arms and back should finish at the same time. As the arms bend the elbows should stay close to the body, and not splayed outwards. The hands come right in to the abdominals with firm contact. Bending the arms at the catch or before the body reaches the vertical position will result in a weak and ineffective drive. Even with fixed-seat rowing the legs do contribute some power to the stroke. At the moment of the catch the knees are slightly bent but will straighten toward the finish making a not insignificant contribution to the drive.

 

How the generated force is applied during the drive can vary from crew to crew. It is possible to employ a hard catch, or exert more power in the middle part of the drive or to emphasise a strong finish. This is a matter of variations in technique. I would however, discount using a technique that emphasises a hard catch mostly because of the stress this puts on the rower's lower back, especially considering how heavy most fixed-seat boats are—some llaguts weight as much as 300 kg. A hard catch also adds a vertical component that is detrimental to moving the boat forward. It is more effective to gradually accelerate the oar through the water emphasising either the middle or finish of the stroke. Whatever technique is chosen the blade must—this is very important—continue to accelerate in the water right to the moment that the blade is extracted.

 

The Finish

 

The acceleration at the finish is accomplished by using the arms to quickly pull the handle into the abdominals. Acceleration of the blade at the finish greatly facilitates its extraction from the water. It is the secret to a clean finish. As long as the blade accelerates there will be mass of turbulent water behind the blade which will allow the blade to cleanly slip out. Once the blade leaves the water, by quickly dropping the hands into the lap, the hands are pushed away quickly from the body.

 

One aspect of the stroke that varies between the various types of fixed-seat boats is the feathering of the oars. In some boats the oars are not feathered while in others they are. Usually feathering is determined by the method used to secure the oar to the side of the boat. There is no doubt that feathering is advantageous not only when rowing into a headwind but also when rowing in turbulent conditions. Most fixed-seat boats do not have oar-locks like those found on sliding-seat racing shells which precisely control the angle that the blades enter the water. There may be a single tholl pin to which the oar is fastened to it by a grommet, or there may be a simple notch in the gunnel. There is a complication when squaring the blade when a tholl pin is in use. The oar and tholl pin combination means that the oar shaft does not have a flat which allows it to seat itself to the proper angle when the blade is square. That means that the correct angle of the blade as it moves through the water must be controlled by the rower, so that it neither digs or washes out. If the blade is not feathered, it is a simple matter to hold the oar handle so that the blade enters the water at the at the correct angle with each stroke. In any case, the feathering action coincides with the drop of the hands as the blade is extracted, and is accomplished by turning the wrist closest to the tholl pin. To square the blade the wrist is turned during the recovery but making sure that the correct angle is set before the blade enters the water.

 

The Recovery

 

Once the blade is clear of the water, the hands quickly move away from the rower's body. As the arms straighten and the hands move out over the knees, the body then swings forward from the hips. When the hands move quickly away from the body it facilitates the body's swing toward the stern. However, this swing has to be controlled, the rowers should not throw themselves to the stern, rather they pivot from the hips in a deliberate and controlled movement, even when rowing at a high rate. The rower should have the sensation of swinging forward and back both during the recovery and the drive respectively, while keeping the hands moving at all times.

 

Recovery implies that the rower can rest somewhat and gather strength for the next effort. Muscles should be relaxed, the grip on the handle firm but not tense, and the head held up without tension in the neck muscles. The recovery is also the part of the stroke that will set the stroke rate. The speed of the swing forward determines the stroke rate. Whatever the stroke rate, the hands should always come away from the body as quickly as possible. By letting the boat run of its own inertia, especially if there is a following wind, the recovery can be lengthened (i.e. the stroke rate lowered).

 

Timing

 

It may be redundant to say that the timing, or synchronisation, of the crew is of critical importance. The crew must make each and every movement together: the catches together, the finishes together, the swing in unison, the power application in the water must match. It is of course essential in side-by-side boats like llaguts, traineras and whale boats that the two rowers in the stroke positions be in time. Whether the boat is in-line or side-by-side the rate is set by the strokes and the rest of the crew should follow them and no one else.

 

Finally....

 

It does no harm to emphasise again that good catches and finishes are critically important. This aspect of technique is sometimes called bladework. For some coaches of sliding-seat rowing it is their primary focus when dealing with technique. They reason that if the bladework is good the rest will fall into place: i.e. the rower's body movements will adapt themselves to good bladework. While such an approach does make some sense, good technique is more likely, in my opinion, to be achieved sooner, and with less trouble, if the coach works on both the bodies and the bladework simultaneously. When assessing a crew's technique the catches are usually the element that first catches the knowledgeable observer's attention, especially when a boat is viewed from a distance. The instant a technically proficient crew reaches the catch position, the blades will disappear in a flash. A crew that has mastered quick catches and clean finishes will likely have a high level of overall technical ability whatever their level of fitness. A crew that has slow catches where the blades pause in mid-air before entering the water is checking the run of the boat, and will therefore be slower for its effort. A crew that has a high level of technique can train and race harder because good technique facilitates power application. Rowing in a boat where the technical ability is high is a pleasure. Rowing with a crew with poor technique can be tiresome and demotivating for everyone involved.

 

The Fog Horn, by Winslow Homer,

 

 

Bibliography

 

Rowing, Lehmann R.C., originally published in 1898. See especially pages 14 to 37 for the author's comments on fixed-seat rowing. Even though the book may today be considered somewhat long winded, and typical of the era, for those with an interest on the history of rowing it is worthwhile perusing. http://www.gutenberg.org/files/34950/34950-h/34950-h.htm

Edward Allcard is alive and well and living in Andorra.

The Ciutat Badalona, ex-Johanna Regina, sailing off Badalona.
(Photo courtesy, Vincente Gracia via Severino Rubio)

Over the last half-century or so sailors have been sailing long distances in small boats on a regular basis. It is now considered a perfectly normal endeavour and that even going solo is a sane thing to do. But, it was not always so. In the late 1890s Joshua Slocum had led the way with his solo circumnavigation and there had been a long lag before Harry Pidgeon followed in his wake. There was another lag after Pidgeon but then throughout the twenties, thirties and forties the numbers of intrepid sailors who took up the call slowly increased. There was a sort of Golden Age of small-boat voyages. Some of those sailors are long forgotten having left little or no records of their adventures. But others thought that long-distance sailing would be of sufficient interest that they wrote books about their adventures; among them, W.A Robertson, Alain Gerbault, Vito Dumas, Eric and Susan Hiscock, Ann Davison, Humphrey Barton, Adlard Coles, and Edward Allcard. These sailors promoted the cause of long-distance sailing, and of an alternative way of life, with their published accounts, and they led the way to today's explosion of cruising under sail. Those pioneering sailors are all gone now except for one. Edward Allcard is alive and well and living in Andorra.

Allcard was born in England in 1914 and learned to sail dinghies from an early age. He qualified as a naval architect prior to the Second World War. He made his first single-handed voyage in 1939 sailing from Scotland to Norway and back. In 1948 Allcard set off to cross the Atlantic from England to the United States aboard a 35-foot ketch, Temptress a boat that had been previously sailed by Humphrey Barton. His account of that voyage was published as Single-Handed Passage. His return across the Atlantic resulted in a marriage to a beautiful Azorean stowaway that was noted in the international press of the time. Allcard recounted that story in his book Temptress Returns. In the late 60s Allcard refurbished a fifty-year old boat Sea Wanderer in which he set out to circumnavigate at a leisurely pace. It took him 16 years to complete that voyage. During the 1970s he and his second wife Clare discovered a wooden 70-foot ketch in the Caribbean. They repaired the derelict Johanne Regina and with their daughter sailed it across the Atlantic to England and Europe. Eventually the Allcards sailed the length of the Mediterranean and down the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean and later to the Far East. In this case it was Clare Allcard who wrote about their adventures aboard Johanne Regina in a book entitled The Gypsy Life published in 1992.

Some time ago the crew and supporters of the sailing vessel Ciutat Badalona gathered in the small auditorium down by the port of Badalona, a Catalan town just northeast of Barcelona, to listen to a presentation by Clare Allcard. The gathering was a celebration and presentation of the Catalan translation of The Gypsy Life published under the title of Rodamons de la Mar. The significance of the Catalan translation of Clare's book is that the Ciutat Badalona is the former Johanne Regina. The Ciutat Badalona is now owned by the city of Badalona and serves as a sail training vessel. When the Allcards sold their vessel in 2006 they retired to Andorra, a small independent state, straddling the French-Spanish border in the mountains of the Pyrenees. The official language of Andorra happens to be Catalan, also the lingua franca aboard Ciutat Badalona. So when Clare made her presentation in Catalan it was much appreciated by those in attendance.

During her talk Clare recounted some of the anecdotes that readers of the original English edition of her book would already be familiar with but she also added some others not in the book. She did express her appreciation to what has happened to the Johanne Regina since the Allcards had sold her. Realizing that she and her husband were getting too old to manage such a large vessel—Ciutat Badalona is 24.07 metres LOA and 70 tonnes displacement—they sailed to Catalonia and moored in Torredembarra harbour near Tarragona while they set up their retirement home in Andorra. Johanne Regina was moored for ten years in Torredembarra while Edward frequently and faithfully drove down from Andorra to attend to her maintenance. For a long time the Allcards feared they would not be able to sell the vessel and that she would have to be abandoned and scrapped.

At some point during her long stay at Torredembarra the Johanne Regina caught the attention of Marcel Mongay and Maria Mascarenas who befriended the Allcards. Marcel, a retired merchant marine captain, and Maria had a vision for the vessel of which they tried to convince the Badalona city council. Like most towns and villages along the Catalan coast Badalona has a rich maritime tradition and it was the intention of Marcel and Maria to not only preserve that heritage but to somehow bring it to life. They wanted the city to buy the Johanne Regina and to convert her to a sail training vessel to be based in the municipal harbour. It took some convincing of the mayor and councillors but in 2006 the sale was completed. With Marcel and Maria aboard, the Allcards sailed Johanne Regina up the coast to Badalona. As Clare writes in the epilogue of the Catalan translation, “the Johanne had found a new home.” The Allcards never expected that the vessel would become a sail training project for a group of aficionados.

The Ciutat Badalona, ex-Johanne Regina, is a Baltic Sea trading ketch built in Faborg, Denmark, in 1929. The vessel was originally named Marie and she was typical of small coastal trading vessels built at the time, she hauled potatoes to the market in Copenhagen. The Marie was launched without an engine but provision had been made for the future installation of one—she now boasts a 400 horsepower diesel. The ketch rig was typical of these vessels, handy for a small crew, and I am reminded of the coasting and fishing schooners of the Canadian Maritime provinces from the same era. The Marie changed hands in the late thirties and was renamed Johanne Regina but continued at her trade of hauling potatoes even during the war. Later she somehow ended up in the Caribbean working as an inter-island trader. When the Allcards found her Antigua she was in a much dilapidated state.

Now the Ciutat Badalona is looked after by a group of volunteers under the auspices of the Associació Amics del Quetx Ciutat Badalona (Association of the Friends of the Ketch Ciutat Badalona). Many of the volunteers are older retirees who perhaps are making up for missed dreams of sailing when they were young. The “friends” sail Ciutat Badalona on a regular basis throughout the year. In the fall of 2013 she participated in the Tall Ships regatta from Barcelona to Toulon and La Speciza gaining a third place in one of the legs for her category. The volunteers undertake maintenance of the vessel and Clare says that Ciutat Badalona has never looked better. Like any wooden vessel of this size she needs a fair amount of attention. She spent several months out of the water during the winter of 2012-13 which allowed for attending to much of her woodwork below the waterline. Still more work goes on. The main top mast was replaced after the old one broke in a moderate breeze. Just recently rot was discovered in the bowsprit and it had to be replaced. She could use a new suit of sails meanwhile her existing suit of Lucas & Sons sails is repaired as needed. On the other hand Ciutat Badalona's a new diesel engine is looked after by a fanatical cadre of volunteers some of whom happened to be retired mechanics.

Also in attendance at the presentation of Clare's book was Edward. It was Clare's night so Edward stood aside. In October 2014 Edward, hale and hearty, celebrated his 100^th birthday with his family and friends at home in Andorra. Queen Elizabeth sent a note expressing her best wishes. Edward is part of a small brotherhood of the sea whose exploits have inspired other sailors. Today ocean crossings by small vessels are common place. Every year hundreds of vessels cross the Atlantic and circumnavigations are now so common that they have lost their news worthiness. Although Edward and Clare Allcard have now retired, and living in the Pyrenees far from the seas, their books will continue to inspire others in following in their wake. Meanwhile their old ship will be teaching and developing new sailors.

The Ciutat Badalona off Barcelona just after the start of the first leg
 of the 2013 Tall Ship Race (Photo courtesy, Severino Rubio)

The author speaking with Edward Allcard.
(Photo Courtesy, Pere Alemany)

It was Clare's night so Edward stood aside but I did get the chance to briefly speak with him. I had hauled down my copies of Single Handed Passage and Temptress Returns and he was kind enough to sign them. I also had my copy of The Gypsy Life and bought a copy of Rodamons de la Mar which Clare also signed. Edward mentioned to me that he had recently finished writing another book, presumably the second part of his account of his traverse of the Pacific back in the 1960s the continuation of his 16-year long solo circumnavigation aboard Wanderer.

La tècnica de remar amb banc fix

Los remeros, Manuel Losada (1865-1949) Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao

Hi ha una manca de literatura sobre la tècnica de remar amb banc fix. Això és sorprenent perquè hi ha molts exemples per tot el món de barques de rem que utilitzen el banc fix, incloent-hi traineras Basques, cogs de Gal-les, skiffs angleses, canoes de gel quebequesos, grindabatars de les illes de Faroe, currachs d'Irlanda, surfboats de les platges d'Austràlia, i llaguts catalans. Hi ha altres exemples de barques que tenen un abast més internacional com els longboats de la competició Atlantic Challenge que deriven de barques del segle XVIII que eren part dels equipaments dels vaixells de guerra en aquella època. La majoria d'aquests tipus de vaixells tenen orígens lligats amb elements específics de clima, geografia, i cultura. Per exemple, a Quebec l'origen de la canoa de gel és deu a la necessitat per un mitjà de transport per travessar el riu Sant Llorenç durant l'hivern que, a causa dels corrents i marees, poques vegades es congela. El llagut català va néixer de la necessitat de llançar els vaixells de pesca enfront de les platges al llarg d'una costa amb molts pocs ports protegits. La caça de balenes al golf de Biscaia és el base de les traineras basques. Igual que amb molts aspectes de la vida quotidiana del passat, des del punt de vista de la documentació, registre i explicació, del rem tradicional hi ha poca literatura contemporània. I és una situació que continua en l'actualitat.

 

En contrast, la literatura sobre la tècnica del rem de banc mòbil és molt extens. La raó per aquesta disparitat és probablement perquè ja fa molts anys el rem amb banc mòbil és un esport olímpic. Curses i regates de rem remunten a l'antiguitat, però no va ser fins als principis del segle 19 que les carreres de barques es van convertir en un esport competitiu i organitzat en clubs i universitats britàniques. Va ser a la dècada de 1870 quan el banc mòbil es va inventar, en els Estats Units, amb la intenció de desplegar més de la potència dels músculs de les cames. I molt aviat aquells clubs I universitats van realitzar el canvi en favor del banc mòbil. Des dels voltants de 1880 i fins al començament del segle 20 l'esport de rem amb banc mòbil es va estendre a la majoria dels països occidentals. Però, el banc mòbil afegeix una complicació a la palada: com mantenir les mans allunyades dels genolls. Per descompte, va ser un problema que es va solucionar ràpidament i elegantment. No obstant això, era necessari impartir i comunicar aquesta solució per al món del rem més ampli i molt puc després de la introducció del banc mòbil textos sobre aquesta tècnica es van publicar. D'altra banda, hi va haver variacions en la tècnica del banc mòbil i diversos autors volien explicar els seus enfocaments particulars.

 

Amb la creixent importància dels esports olímpics, especialment després de la segona guerra mundial hi va haver un impuls natural per entendre millor la física de com les barques de banc mòbil estan propulsades i com fer que vagin més ràpids. Mentre que el rem de banc mòbil es mantenia com un esport veritablement d'amateurs l'interès en aquests tipus d'investigació era relativament menor. A poc a poc, però, a través els anys dels 1950 i 1960 la quantitat d'investigació científica va augmentar. Se li va donar un gran impuls per l'alça de la màquina esportiva que va ser l'Alemanya de l'Est en les dècades dels 1960 i 1970. L'obsessió d'aquest país amb la proesa esportiva va empènyer la investigació científica en tots els esports, inclòs el rem, i va impulsar altres països a emular aquestes investigacions. Evidentment, tots aquests factors implica que més i més llibres, papers científics i fullets sobre la tècnica del banc mòbil es publicaven duran tot el segle 20.

 

 

Una trainera de una postal vella

 

Mentrestant el rem tradicional es va quedar en això, tradicional, amb alguns aficionats per aquí i per allà que van continuar remant les seves barques particulars afora de la llum. Hi va haver poca investigació científica sobre el rem de banc fix, de fet, una situació que continua fins avui dia. Però no vol dir que el rem tradicional no ha aprofitat dels avanços en el rem de banc mòbil, ho va fer. Això és especialment cert en l'assumpte de materials com fibra de vidre, fibra de carboni i altres materials sintètics usats en la fabricació de rems i barques.

 

Per descompte no hi ha cap raó perquè els mètodes moderns d'entrenament desenvolupats pel rem de banc mòbil no es poden usar o adaptar pel rem de banc fix. Qualsevol entrenador que entrena una tripulació de llagut o trainera no pot deixar de beneficiar-se d'un examen dels mètodes utilitzats pels equips de banc mòbil. Però, és important tenir en compte les diferenciés entre els dos tipus de rem. El rem de banc fix es realitza normalment en alta mar or grans llacs i rius on les condicions són molts diferents de les de rem de banc mòbil que es limiten en aigües tranquil·les i protegides. És amb aquests antecedents en ment que aquesta nota sobre la tècnica del rem de banc fix es presenta.

 

Fins i tot després del canvi a banc mòbil molts clubs de rem en la Gran Bretanya que és centraven exclusivament en competició van continuar ensenyant els fonaments en barques de banc fix. Alguns entrenadors eren de l'opinió que aprendre de remar bé en barques de banc fix pudia ser d'utilitat pels novells abans d'avençar al banc mòbil. Molts clubs tenien unes barques de banc fix que es deien «tubs», o «banyares» en anglès, per ensenyar els fonaments. Aquestes barques van desaparèixer dels clubs per l'època de la primera guerra mundial i mai van ser molts utilitzats en altres països. Aquest interès en el banc fix com un pas per perfeccionar la tècnica del banc mòbil és obvi en el llibre de R.C. Lehmann que es titula Rowing i publicat en 1898. El llibre és un text de la tècnica del banc mòbil però Lehmann fa alguns comentaris del banc fix que val la pena llegir i estudiar.

 

Un imatge presa del llibre Rowing de R.C. Lehmann publicat en 1898.

Tenint en compte aquesta manca de literatura sobre la tècnica del banc fix, podia ser útil oferir alguns comentaris sobre aquesta tema. Permeti'm dir que aquestes són opinions personals basades en les meves experiències de rem en la canoa de gel, el llagut català i bots de rem per iots. Puc contrastar la meva experiència de banc fix amb tres dècades de rem amb banc mòbil. Hi pot haver alguns que qüestionen, i potser no estan d'acord amb les meves opinions, però estic obert a discutir qualsevol suggeriment o correcció dels que llegeixen aquest assaig.

 

 

La palada del banc fix

 

Per la convivència de discussió la palada es divideix generalment en dues fases, la recuperació i la passada, i les dues fases són marcades per les entrades i sortides de la pala dins i afora de l'aigua. Per descompte, en realitat cada palada és part d'un cicle continu i sense parades que no té ni principi ni fi. És durant la fase de la passada, amb la pala del rem submergit i amb l'aplicació de la força de l'atleta, que la barca és impulsada cap endavant. Duran la recuperació, amb els rems fora de l'aigua, els vogadors poden recuperar una mica mentre que es preparen per a la pròxima fase d'empenta. La palada sembla ser una seqüencia d'accions bastant simples o senzilles. De fet, mirant de prop, impulsar una barca amb l'ús de rems és un exercici molt complex. El vogador ha de realitzar una sèrie d'accions específiques en els moments apropiats, que sa de mantenir una palada després de l'altre. Per descompte, cada vogador ha d'estar en perfecta sincronització amb la resta de la tripulació, mentre que el seu cos està sota un alt nivell d'estres fisiològic.

 

Si la barca, la tripulació, inclòs el timoner, i els rems es consideren com un sol sistema que requereix una intricada sèrie d'accions dutes a terme en moments precisos per moure el conjunt, llavors un s'adona com complex és moure un vaixell a través l'aigua. A causa d'aquesta complexitat, és essencial que tots els membres de la tripulació treballen en perfecta sincronització, ja que qualsevol petita desviació per ningú impedirà el moviment de la barca. Mentrestant, és especialment important que les entrades i sortides dels rems siguin alhora, també és important que els cossos de la tripulació estiguin en ritme—que tinguin «swing» per dir-ho en anglès. És clar que en realitat no és tan senzill. Una barca en el mar obert ha de patir els capritxos del vent i les onades, i el seu moviment estarà impedit i sacsejat. En aquestes condicions hi haurà palades perdudes, mistos i enganxós, però una bona tripulació pot fer front amb aquestes condicions mitjançant l'adaptació i compensació. Aquesta capacitat d'adaptació prové només de la formació i entrenament constant de la tripulació.

 

Abans d'examinar la palada hi ha alguns punts per tenir en compte. El vogador, o la vogadora, ha d'estar assegut còmodament en la vora de popa del banc amb els peus a l'ample d'espatlles, i les puntes dels peus que empenyien contra la fusta de la pedalina. Els peus han d'estar més baixos que el banc amb la part superior dels dits dels peus que no superin el punt més baix del banc. El vogador ha d'empènyer amb els coixinets dels peus de la mateixa manera que un ciclista empeny el pedal utilitzant només la part davantera del peu. Si el vogador empeny amb els arcs dels peus, a més de ser incòmode i ineficaç, els dits dels peus poden interferir amb el mànec del rem especialment en condicions d'aigües turbulentes. L'esforç s'ha d'aplicar igual pels dos peus. Els posicionaments del banc i la pedalina s'han d'ajustar de manera que els genolls estan una mica doblegats en el moment de l'entrada de la pala a l'aigua—quan el vogador estar a punt de treure la pala fora de l'aigua els genolls estan gairebé rectes. La posició del banc i la pedalina en relació amb l'escalemera s'han d'ajustar de manera que els genolls del vogador estan en línia amb l'escalemera. Això es tracta d'un ajustament que necessita l'ull de l'entrenador i s'ha de fer amb consideració de tots els vogadors de la barca.

 

El mànec del rem se sosté amb els dits i no amb els palmells de les mans. Els dits estan col·locats lliurement a la part superior del mànec, mentre que els polzes estan en la part inferior. Es manté les mans amb una separació d'una mà. El dit petit de la mà més lluny de l'escalemera ha de coincidir amb la punta extrema del mànec, o bé és perdre palanquejament. Amb les mans massa separades el centre d'esforç s'allunya de l'extrem del mànec, amb el resultat que es perdre palanquejament. Durant la fase de palanca els canells es mantenen pla—l'avantbraç i la part posterior de la mà fan una línia recta. Això és molt important perquè, si els canells es dobleguen, la tendència és per agafar el rem amb massa força, el que pot causar que els avantbraços es paralitzen. Les mans, o més exactament els dits, actuen per transmetre al rem l'energia generada per l'esquena, les espatlles, i els braços, i la flexió dels canells significa que els avantbraços estan molt estressats.

 

A més dels aspectes tècnics del rem, en tant del banc fix com el banc mòbil, és un esport de resistència i força. No totes les tripulacions estan interessades competir en regates, moltes simplement ramen pel plaer d'estar en i gaudir del mar. No obstant això, tenir un nivell bàsic de condicionament incloent resistència i força augmenta el gaudiment de l'esport. Simplement sortir i remar augmentarà els nivells de condicionament, però si un equip vol competir i guanyar regates, pot ser necessari fer formació complementaria, com córrer, aixecar pesos, entrena en l'ergo-metre, etc. Cada equip amb l'ajuda del seu entrenador ha d'avaluar els seus objectius i trobar la resposta a la pregunta bàsica: Que són els nostres objectius? Si es tracta de remar simplement per plaer dos o tres cops per setmana no és probable que l'entrenament addicional és necessari i fins i tot desitjable. No obstant això, si un equip té l'objectiu de competir i guanyar regates específiques llavors un rigorós programa d'entrenament pot ser necessari. En qualsevol cas, sigui quina sigui els objectius d'una tripulació o el seu nivell de condició física, s'ha d'esforçar per desenvolupar i mantenir una bona tècnica.

 

Un vaixell de les Illes Faroe

 

L'entrada

 

Una entrada, o atac, decisiva i rapida és un dels elements més importants de la tècnica del rem però també és un dels aspectes més difícils aconseguir. Aquesta dificultat es deu a la relativament inestable posició del vogador en el moment de l'entrada—amb el cos doblegat des de la cintura i amb els braços estesos cap a la popa. És molt més fàcil aconseguir una entrada rapida mentre es rema amb el cos més vertical en el moment de l'entrada—una mitja palada. Durant la recuperació, amb els braços estesos, el cos del vogador es balanceja cap a la popa i quan les mans arriben per sobre als turmells—més lluny és ineficaç, i innecessàriament esgota la part inferior de l'esquena—la pala entra l'aigua ràpidament i netament. Això es fa simplement elevant els braços i les mans, amb els braços pivotant des de les espatlles.

 

L'entrada és de vital importància, ja que és la transició entre les fases de recuperació i passada—els cossos de la tripulació fan un canvi de direcció de popa a proa. Aquest canvi de direcció ha de coincidir de forma instantània amb l'entrada o en cas contrari la barca s'aturà. Amb una entrada ràpida la pala entra l'aigua sense esquitxades cap a la proa i sense frenar la barca. Una entrada ràpida no implica una entrada forta i dura que dóna la barca un sotrac. És més eficaç si s'aconsegueix amb una acceleració gradual de la pala durant tota la passada. Les entrades rapides s'han de mantenir en tots moments, fins i tot quan ramen lleugerament. Només la pala del rem s'ha de submergir. Remar massa profund amb la pala és ineficaç, pot causar que el rem s'enganxi i que s'alin tiri la barca. D'altra banda si només una part de la pala és submergit, el rem pot fer un misto.

 

 

La passada

 

Amb la immersió de la pala s'inicia la fase de la passada. Amb el rem de banc fix els muscles de l'esquena són els que proporcionen la major part de la potència duran la passada. Això implica la necessitat que els muscles de l'esquena i els abdominals siguin forts—el més fort millor. El cos es balanceja a través d'un arc que va des de la inclinació endavant (cap a la popa), a la posició vertical i acabant amb una inclinació enrere, és a dir cap a la proa. Amb el banc fix la inclinació enrere és bastant exagerat en comparació amb el banc mòbil, encara més raó per tenir els muscles de l'esquena i abdominals forts. Des de l'entrada el braç més lluny de l'escalemera es manté recte i l'altre una mica doblegat, i es queden així fins que el cos arriba a la posició vertical. És només llavors que els braços realment comencen entrar en joc i contribueixen potencià a la passada. Els braços i l'esquena acaben el mateix temps, les mans i el mànec del rem donant els abdominals un bon cop. Doblegar els braços a l'entrada o abans que el cos arribi a la posició vertical resulta amb una feble i ineficaç passada. Tot i que estem parlant del rem de banc fix las cames contribueixen a la passada. En el moment de l'entrada les cames estan doblegades una mica però amb el cos balancejant cap a la proa las cames es posen rectes i afegeixin la seva força a la passada.

 

La força generada i que s'aplica durant la passada pot variar d'una tripulació a un altre. És possible emprar una entrada molt forta, o exercir més poder a la part mitjana de la passada, o emfatitzar el poder just abans de l'extracció. Això és una qüestió de variacions en la tècnica. Però, jo no recomanaria una tècnica que fa èmfasi amb una entrada forta per dues raons. Primer, una entrada forta carrega el baix de l'esquena, sobretot tenien en compte que les embarcacions de banc fix poden pesar molt. Alguns llaguts arriben a pesar fins a 300 kilograms. En segon lloc, una entrada forta resulta en un moviment vertical que impedeix el moviment cap endavant de l'embarcació. És més eficaç que després d'una entrada rapida i suava s'accelera la pala dins l'aigua, i que és emfatitzi el mitjà o final de la palada. Qualsevol que sigui la tècnica escollida la pala s'accelerà fins al moment d'extracció, or sortida. L'acceleració de la pala just abans de la sortida es duu a terme mitjançant l'ús dels braços tirant el mànec cap als abdominals. És molt important mantenir l'acceleració de la pala per facilitar l'extracció. És molt important aquest punt.

 

 

La sortida

 

Quan les mans arriben al cos del vogador es deixen caure ràpidament a la falda i s'empanen fora del cos. Igual com l'entrada, la sortida és ha de fer el més netament possible. El secret per on sortida neta, que la pala no s'enganxi, és l'acceleració dins l'aigua. Mentre que la pala és accelera hi haurà una massa d'aigua turbulenta darrere la pala que facilitar la seva extracció.

 

Un aspecte de la palada que varia entre les diverses barques que utilitzen el banc fix és la qüestió de repaleig del rem. En alguns vaixells els rems es repalegen però en altres no. En general repalejar el rem dependre de la mena d'escalemera. La majoria de les embarcacions de banc fix no tenen escalemeres que es poden tancar. No hi ha dubte, ser capaç de repalejar la pala és avantatjós quan es rema contra el vent però també en condicions turbulentes. Normalment l'escalem és una simple estaca i el rem si agafa amb un estrop o volandera. També l'escalem pot constar d'una osca a la borda de la barca. En qualsevol cas, l'acció de repalejar coincideix amb la caiguda de les mans en el moment d'extracció de la pala, i es porta a terme girant el canell més a prop de l'escalem.

 

 

La recuperació

 

Una vegada que la pala està fora de l'aigua les mans s'aparten ràpidament del cos. A mesura que els braços s'estenen i les mans estan per sobre els genolls, el cos es balanceja cap endavant pivotant des dels malucs. Movent les mans ràpidament i que s'aparten del cos facilita la balancejada i ajuda aconseguidor el que en angles es diu el «swing». Un bon swing és una sensació que només s'aconseguirà quan els cossos de tot l'equip es mouen en uníson cap a la popa. Quan es fa correctament la barca sembla més lleugera, com si té una vida pròpia. El swing és un element difícil aconseguir i només ve amb pràctica i l'atenció a la tècnica. No obstant això, aquesta balancejada ha de ser controlada, el vogador no es pot tirar cap a la popa, ha de ser un moviment fet amb control i deliberació. Fins i tot quan es remi en un ritme elevat.

 

La recuperació és el moment quan que el vogador pot descansar i prendre forces pel següent esforç. Durant aquest temps, els muscles s'han de relaxar-se, l'agafada del mànec ha de ser ferm però no tens, el cap aguantat sense tensió amb els muscles del coll. La rapidesa de la recuperació marca la freqüència de les palades, el ritme. La velocitat del cos cap a la popa determina el ritme, mes que l'esforç de la pala dins l'aigua. Qualsevol que sigui el ritme les mans s'han d'apartar del cos el més ràpid possible. En deixar el vaixell ratxa de la seva pròpia inèrcia, sobretot si hi ha un vent de popa, els temps de la recuperació es pot allargar (és a dir, baixar el nombre de palades), una situació que permet el vogador aplicar encara més força durant la passada.

 

 

Sincronització

 

Pot ser redundant reafirmar de nou, però la sincronització, o l'uníson, de la tripulació és d'importància critica. Tota la tripulació ha de fer cada moviment a l'uníson: les entrades sincronitzades, les sortides en concert, balanceja junts, fer la recuperació en uníson, i l'aplicació dels esforços a l'aigua de cada vogador han de coincidir. Per descompte, en barques en què els seients són de costat a costat, com en els llaguts, traineras i whale boats, els dos vogadors que fan de marques tenen de remar en sincronització. En aquestes barques la resta de la tripulació ha de seguir les marques i ningú altre. En el cas de barques on els seients són un darrere l'altre, com els canots de gel i els batels, tothom segueix el que fa de marca.

 

 

Finalment...

 

No fa cap mal subratllar una vegada més que les entrades i sortides ben fetes són d'importància crucial. Aquest aspecte de la tècnica de vegades es denomina «bladework» en anglès, o «treball de pala». Per alguns entrenadors del banc mòbil és el seu objectiu principal quan es tracta de la tècnica. El seu raonament és que si el bladework és ben fet, la resta caurà en el seu lloc: és a dir, els moviments del cos del vogador s'adaptaran el bon treball de la pala. Si bé aquest enfocament fa que tingui algun sentit, una bona tècnica és més probable, al meu entendre, i que s'aconseguirà més aviat i amb menys problemes, si l'entrenador treballa tant amb els cossos com amb el bladework simultàniament. En una avaluació la tècnica d'una tripulació les entrades solen ser l'element que primer crida l'atenció de l'observador ben informat, sobretot quan la barca es veu de llarga distància. En el moment quan una tripulació, que té bona tècnica, arriba a la posició de l'entrada, les pales desapareixen en un cop d'ull. Una tripulació que ha dominat les entrades rapides i les sortides netes probablement té un alt nivell de tècnica, qualsevol sigui el seu nivell de condició física. Una tripulació que porta entrades lentes on les pales es detenen en l'aire abans d'entrada a l'aigua està desaccelerant el lliscament de l'embarcació, i per tant serà més lenta pel seu esforç. Una tripulació que té bona tècnica pot entrenar i competir físicament en un nivell més alt, perquè la bona tècnica facilita l'aplicació d'esforç. Remar en una barca on la capacitat tècnica és alta és un plaer. Remar en una barca on la tècnica és descuidant serà tediós i és desmotivant per tots involucrats.

 

The Fog Warning (L'advertència de boira), Winslow Homer (1836-1910)
 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston