So here's the senario...

You're an 8+ coxie, used to seeing the rowers and their faults, now all of a sudden youre pushed into a bowloader 4+... You can't see the rowers anymore and are quickly running out of things to say... NEVER FEAR, the answer is near...

Sounds

First off, at the catch there are the obvious ones, you want to hear one splash, not 4, this mean catches are together, you also dont want to hear to much boat clickage, like gates and such, this would usually mean the rowers are forcing their hands up, let gravity do the job with the blades at the catch, they raise their hands, lifting up into the catch and it drops clean into the water with a tiny backsplash...

Finishes, the other obvious one is gate noises, when the rowers feather up after the finish, their blades must have exited the water and then squared up together, you want to hear one click with the gates, this just ensures you have the harmony in the crew, also adds to the ryhtym and can be an intimidating noise if done correctly...

For the drive, there are also things to listen for, rowers should be accelerating through the drive with their legs, this will cause a whooshing noise past the bow of the boat, it should get louder as they drive, this means they are accelerating properly... if not, get your rowers to sit on their toes and squeeze down with their legs, keeping positions in mind...

Feelings

Ok, by now we got a bit of rythym going but our balance has turned to shite, we can't see who is at fault, what do we do?

Simple

Here's a trick... If the boat leans to strokeside but you cant tell if its bowside not letting their hands fly down and away, or strokeside just not drawing up, feel for it... If the boat decellerates at the finish more than it usually should, its hands not flying down and away... If the boat tends to rock slightly, like jolting, its rowers not controlling their blades and not drawing up...

Another great thing to feel for is that the shell remains stiff, if it starts to bend and warp you could find that its a rower washing out, or someone isnt pulling their weight... Be cautious of this though, some shells are stiffer than others, its all about judgement...

Conclusion

In a bowloader you just have to be more alert as to what the boat and water are telling you, the more you move your head, the more anwanted momentum there is in the boat... Take some time next time youre in a 4+ to observe the sounds and feel of a boat, you'd be suprised what you can tell...

Till next time, ladies, gentleladies,

Keep wicked...

Julian aka. GothCox