Watercraft rowing

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Typical Finnish rowing boats on the shore of Palokkajärvi, Jyväskylä
Rowing in the Amstel River by a student rowing club.

Watercraft rowing is the act of propelling a boat using the motion of oars in the water. The difference between paddling and rowing is that with rowing the oars have a mechanical connection with the boat, whereas with paddling the paddles are hand-held with no mechanical connection.


Types of rowing systems[edit]






Ancient rowing[edit]


In ancient times, rowing vessels, especially galleys, were extensively used in naval warfare and trade, in particular in the Mediterranean from classical antiquity onwards. Galleys had advantages over sailing ships; they were easier to maneuver, capable of short bursts of speed, and able to move independently of the wind. Galleys continued in use in the Mediterranean until the advent of steam propulsion. Their use in northern Atlantic waters was less successful, finishing with their poor performance with the Spanish Armada.

The Classical trireme used 170 rowers; later galleys included even larger crews. Trireme oarsmen used leather cushions to slide over the seats, which allowed them to use their leg strength as a modern oarsman does with a sliding seat. Galleys usually had masts and sails, but when about to enter combat would lower them. Greek fleets would also leave their sails and masts on shore (as being unnecessary weight) if possible.[4]

Venetian rowing[edit]

A Gondola in Venice

In Venice, gondolas and other similar flat bottomed boats[5] are popular forms of transport propelled by oars which are held in place by an open wooden fòrcola.[6] The Voga alla Veneta[7] technique of rowing is considerably different from the style used in international sport rowing, due to the oarsman facing forward in a standing position. This allows the boat to manoeuover very quickly and with agility - useful in the narrow and busy canals of Venice. Competitive regattas are also held using the Venetian rowing technique, using both gondolas and other types of vessels.

There are three different styles of Venetian rowing:


Even since the earliest recorded references to rowing, the sporting element has been present. An Egyptian funerary inscription of 1430 BC records that the warrior Amenhotep (Amenophis) II was also renowned for his feats of oarsmanship. In the Aeneid, Virgil mentions rowing forming part of the funeral games arranged by Aeneas in honour of his father.[7] In the 13th century, Venetian festivals called regata included boat races among others.[8] The first known "modern" rowing races began from competition among the professional watermen that provided ferry and taxi service on the River Thames in London. Prizes for wager races were often offered by the London Guilds and Livery Companies or wealthy owners of riverside houses.[7] The oldest surviving such race, Doggett's Coat and Badge was first contested in 1715 and is still held annually from London Bridge to Chelsea.[9] During the nineteenth century these races were to become numerous and popular, attracting large crowds. Prize matches amongst professionals similarly became popular on other rivers throughout Great Britain in the nineteenth century, notably on the Tyne. In America, the earliest known race dates back to 1756 in New York, when a pettiauger defeated a Cape Cod whaleboat in a race. [10] Amateur competition in England began towards the end of the eighteenth century. Documentary evidence from this period is sparse, but it is known that the Monarch Boat Club of Eton College and the Isis Club of Westminster School were both in existence in the 1790s. The Star Club and Arrow Club in London for gentlemen amateurs were also in existence before 1800. At the University of Oxford bumping races were first organised in 1815 when Brasenose College and Jesus College boat clubs had the first annual race[11] while at Cambridge the first recorded races were in 1827.[12] Brasenose won Oxford University's first Head of the River and claim to be the oldest established boat club in the world. The Boat Race between Oxford University and Cambridge University first took place in 1829, and was the second intercollegiate sporting event (following the first Varsity Cricket Match by 2 years). The interest in the first Boat Race and subsequent matches led the town of Henley to begin hosting an annual regatta in 1839.[13] Founded in 1818, Leander Club is the world's oldest public rowing club.[14] The second oldest club which still exists is the Der Hamburger und Germania Ruder Club which was founded 1836 and marked the beginning of rowing as an organized sport in Germany.[15] During the Nineteenth Century, as in England, wager matches in North America between professionals became very popular attracting vast crowds. The Detroit Boat Club was established as the first rowing exclusive club in 1839 in the US.[16][17] In 1843, the first American college rowing club was formed at Yale University.[16] The Harvard-Yale Regatta is the oldest intercollegiate sporting event in the United States,[16][18] having been contested every year since 1852 (excepting interruptions for

Whitehall Rowboats[edit]



In Wooden Boats to Build and Use (1996), John Gardner of Mystic Seaport describes a 25-foot racing Whitehall, named American Star, which triumphed in an 1824 race in New York Harbor that according to newspapers of the time drew 50,000 spectators, more than any American sporting event ever until then. The following year the boat was gifted to an ageing General Lafayette, hero of the American Revolution, during his tour of the U.S. The American Star returned to Lafayette's estate in France where it was displayed in a specially constructed gazebo. During the mid 20th century the boat was rediscovered in storage there, and its lines have be preserved at Mystic Seaport where an exact replica was built in 1974-75, and still rows at Seaport events.

What makes a good rowboat[edit]





A Sunnmørsfæring; a Norwegian 4-oared rowing boat, from the region Sunnmøre (Herøy kystmuseum, Herøy, Møre og Romsdal, Norway)

See also[edit]


  2. ^ http://www.settesere.it/public/parser_download/save/allegati.2007.32.pag04.e05due.pdf Remando in piedi sul moscone. (Rowing standing up on the moscone).
  5. ^ Le barche at www.vogaveneta.it (Italian)
  6. ^ La forcola - le barche per la Voga alla Veneta at www.vogaveneta.it (Italian)
  7. ^ Venetian rowing technique at www.venetia.it

External links[edit]