Old Dawg, New Tricks. Docking!
Our boat on its rack in the boatyard. This rudder is my favorite kind of rudder.
Below I’ve posted the blog I wrote for Row2k. They’ve asked me to blog for them during the World Championships. I’ll update both blogs during racing. So here it is…
After being here in New Zealand for 10 days the wind has finally shown itself for the past two days. I had a feeling that the wind would start to pick up as racing got closer. Row2k has asked me to blog to give the coxswain’s perspective and a coxswain’s perspective of wind is that it blows. For example this morning we launched when the lake was calm and beautiful. With 4k to go the wind started to really pick up. We dealt with it pretty well and we were all pleased with our focus. Then came the worse part…docking. Docking an 8+ while waves crash over the dock is not fun. That is when I start to sweat. Docking at this regatta has been an experience. The first phase was heading in bow first after having to negotiate four bright big hippity-hop buoys. After learning that I didn’t have to row past all 4 buoys I went into phase 2 of docking and that was to cut in between the buoys and then still head in bow first. After having one too many small boats cut in front of us while we took the time to spin an 8+, I decided to join the other boats with phase 3, which is backing into the dock. We’ve managed to master backing into the dock these past few days, which made today a little easier.
With our coach standing by to catch the 2- on the upward side, Tom told us to land on the other side of the dock, the side that the wind blew us away from. So I did what most coxswains would do…started to pit out and asked my girls to listen up because this is going to take some creativity. So we lined up as if we were going to land behind Erin and Susan and started to back up slowly using the wind to push us to our side of the dock. We stopped right before our stern hit the dock and just when we blew clear I told stern four to back and stopped to let our blades glide over the dock while our coach grabbed our stroke seat’s blade. I told bow seat, Anna Goodale, to gently row to keep our boat parallel with the dock as Tom pulled us in.
Meanwhile on the other side of the dock the German W8+ was backing to land and got pushed into Erin and Susan so they quickly walked their boat down while Tom ran to grab them so they didn’t hurt their boat on the corner of the dock. Getting out of the boat was the fun part because the wind made it so choppy that it made the boats bounce up and down against the dock. Calling the boat overhead was the last challenge because we didn’t want the wind to catch the girls off guard. Sometimes a boat can act as a sail when picking it up and out of the water. We quickly brought the boat to shoulders and went about our business.
After our rows we usually…
–stretch
–wait for lunch
–try to use the slow but free internet
–catch the bus back to our hotel
The 8+’s race tomorrow and I’m looking forward to racing my first race since Beijing!
Steer Straight!
Mwhip+
Tags: coxing, coxswain, Docking, Mary Whipple, World Championships
Posted at Monday, November 1st, 2010 in: Advanced Coxswain
Why is this your favorite type of rudder?
This is my favorite type of rudder because it is made out of carbon fiber and you can feel the difference of how it turns the boats. I feel like the boat olds a stronger line. It also makes me super aware of how I steer because any type of fidgeting will show up in the balance because the rudder is super responsive. Some coxswains don’t like this because if you start to oversteer then your rowers know. It just makes me more confident and it makes the boat feel more solid in the water under my seat.
So, my team went out on the water today and the wind was harsh! My coach told me to pull in on the left side of the dock so the current would slide us into place. Suddenly out of no where 3 crew boats came onto the dock and my spot was taken. I had to change the entire plan in a split second. BAD IDEA. the dock looks like this
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l____________
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we had to dock here. In an 8.
So, i t-boned the dock and almost ruined my bow, luckily someone came to help. Any advice on how to dock a little better?
Hi Anna,
I’m having trouble visualizing your situation. Did the boat that took your dock, was it on the water with you or was it launching? If it was launching then they should have helped you out and let you dock. If they snuck in there before you had time to row to the dock then you should have read the situation a little faster and had your rowers back to get you out of there. Docking is always stressful and you need to make quick and confident decisions. I always like to tell my rowers to listen up because this might get tricky with the wind. After I make that statement then I usually have their full attention and they respond quicker to my commands.
Every docking situation is different so I wish I had a definitive answer for you. I always like to:
-pick the side of the dock that the wind will blow me into
-keep an eye on the corner or edge of the dock, once you loose sight of the corner you probably will hit the dock with your bow
-use momentum to bring me into the dock rather than rowing right into the dock
-when all else fails I get parallel and as close as possible to the dock and then ask for help from someone to pull us in. There is no shame in having someone pull you in when a boat costs as much as it does.
Good luck and think smart and fast when making docking decisions.
–mwip+
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l_____
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we had to dock here. In an 8.
HI Mary, I’m a high school coxswain and this is my junior year. i was hoping you could help me out with commands and give me some tips on steering because the Stotesbury Regatta is next week and i want to do well with my JV8+ to perhaps qualify and help me get noticed by colleges because i want to continue my coxswain career through college and maybe even make the United States National team. So do you have any tips for me?
Hi Will,
Getting noticed by college coaches probably won’t happen from your results. You need to create good dialogue and not be afraid to call your future coach or go up to them at a race. Making good and confident impressions on the coach to want to row for one day will help more than a result from a race. Lastly, having a good rapport with your current coach is just as important because letters of recommendation can make the difference too when getting recruited.
–mwhip+
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