sworn at by rowers

dylanwinter said:
On Sunday morning I was sailing on the Ouse above York - it was a lovely morning with just enough breeze to make progress against the current

then a coxless four came along and one of the blokes told me to get out of the way

and that I was on the wrong side of the river.....

he even told me to stop smiling

he was a young man, his testosterone was running high and I am sure that he does not get that many sailing boats on his river

D
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In such situations I always ask, with a kindly smile, "are you losing?"

Alternatively "Shut yer face" is very satisfying...... :D
 
Seven Spades said:
Wrong, she has a glottal stop, hardly received English.
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Erm, it was irony. I was challenging Uricane Jack's assumption that all rowers were upper class twits:

'I think if I sailed through a set race course or an area set aside for wowing the wowers would have jist cause to be upset.
Well bwaught up wowers would admonish me politly but fiwmly and point it the ewow of my ways.'

I have rowed since I was 13. Been a member of half a dozen clubs, including York. I cannot identify that sort of stereotype amongst the people I have rowed with.
 
Keen_Ed said:
Rowing is a remarkably cheap sport. When I was keen (about 20 years ago now. Where's it all gone?!), club subs were £120 a year, which got use of boats (every weekend and weeknights in summer) and the (very basic) gym 4 nights a week in winter. I see that it's now £500 per year - so £10 a week.

Back then, regattas cost about £5 per person per event.

It is time intensive though. We were training 20 hours a week through the year. My life was work, rowing, eating (lots!) and sleep. And that's for club rowing. Total time spent racing through the year totalled probably a few hours?
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Yes, I know. See my previous post.

In this case I think Dylan was wrong. If I ventured into a stretch of river which was clearly used by oarsmen I would keep a very wide berth if for no other reason than acknowledging the dedication required for the sport as you described.
 
chinita said:
Yes, I know. See my previous post.

In this case I think Dylan was wrong. If I ventured into a stretch of river which was clearly used by oarsmen I would keep a very wide berth if for no other reason than acknowledging the dedication required for the sport as you described.
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don't want an argument but you offer an interesting interpretation of col regs

the least dedicated should get out of the way

well...... it is my guess that I am just as dedicated to sailing as they are to rowing

maybe more so - I am sure that I have spent more hours sailing than they have rowing - I am three times as old as most of them

and I am reasonably certain that I have spent more money on sailing than they have rowing
 
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dylanwinter said:
don't want an argument but you offer an interesting interpretation of col regs
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On rivers, surely colregs don't come into it - it is the local bye-laws or British Waterways (or whatever) regulations that are the rule of the river. In broadest terms they parallel colregs, but I certainly know of specific examples where they don't and one place where rowers are given explicit right of way (and it IS right of way, not "stand-on"; any other vessel must get out of an eight's way at this location)
 
vyv_cox said:
No excuse for rudeness of course, but a four or an eight doesn't seem to have much manoevrability, goes pretty fast and has no brakes.
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Having coxed 4's & 8's on the Cam for some while some time ago I would agree that in the normal run of things they do take some turning if you just rely on the rudder (about 6" x 4").
Use it to hard and you stall it and you carry on in a straight line.
You can get the boat to go where you want if you use the rowing crew to help with the steering.
One instructs the rowers on the outside of the bend to "help her round" and if needed the rowers on the inside to pull less hard.
In an urgent situation one can stop ones boat very quickly with the instructions "Easy All" & "Hold her Hard".
One does get a slightly miffed if one has to do that due to someone getting in one's way!
One can also turn the boat in its own length by getting the rowers on one side to pull normally and those on the other side to row in reverse.

As far as swearing at other river users, it is just not done.

On the River Cam there is a section where the rules of the river are reversed in that one keeps to the left instead of right.
this is to allow racing boats coming up river to take the inside of the tight left hand bend.
 
mogy said:
Years ago whilst going about our business as a dirty british coaster we where verbally abused by awfully posh people who shouted "we are racing".I replied that we where working!
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Surprisingly many 'awfully posh people' thank that they have additional rights when racing - they don't!
 
Easticks28 said:
Surprisingly many 'awfully posh people' thank that they have additional rights when racing - they don't!
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Once when racing X's at Cowes a fishing boat went to drop his gear right in front of us, seeing it coming I cursed allowed "oh do not be a fu5hing w4nk3r"...The fishing boat smiled let us passed and dropped his gear in front of the next boat... Giving us a smile and nod...

I guess it depends on how its done...

You could always comment on there stroke, give appropriate hand signals... although I would suggest you make sure you are bigger or faster than them :D :D
 
dylanwinter said:
don't want an argument but you offer an interesting interpretation of col regs

the least dedicated should get out of the way

well...... it is my guess that I am just as dedicated to sailing as they are to rowing

maybe more so - I am sure that I have spent more hours sailing than they have rowing - I am three times as old as most of them

and I am reasonably certain that I have spent more money on sailing than they have rowing
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With the greatest respect, I think your understanding of rowing is limited and you are therefore unable to make a reasoned judgement of why you suffered the apparent abuse. They have probably the same amount of knowledge about colregs as you have about their sport.

These guys may well have been training hard for a forthcoming regatta. They will have spent many hours in the gym doing circuit training and weights throughout the winter months.

They also may well have been in the middle of a structured time trial between given points on the river.

They are not out there for a gentle row a'la Eton Boating Song, it is serious business. I can well understand why they are aggrieved when obstructed by a smiling guy ghosting along enjoying a lovely Sunday morning. Whilst I cannot condone their behaviour, I can understand it.

Keep your colregs. When I enter Brightlingsea Harbour on a busy sailing club training evening I give way to the kids and their coaches/safety boats - even if I am on starboard tack. It is simple commonsense and civility.
 
Just a thought......do rowers have to pay to use the river..........?

I think Dylan had to buy a season ticket.....surely that gives him the right of way ???.....................(ironic smiley face thing that I can't find)
 
The real problem is that these numpties did not recognise THE Dylan Winter, Master of Mud and all things shallow. If they had, they would have jumped aboard and asked for an autograph. :p
 
THE Dylan Winter, Master of Mud and all things shallow.

Nothing shallow about about Mr Winter...........he can discuss the merits of a small piece of green putty ad nausium...

As for master of Mud?.....

I know for a fact he has 73 copies of 'Tiger feet' and has a picture of Les Gray on the bathroom wall....not quite the 'master' though....I think that was Nicky Chinn......word has it that he has a picture of Dylan tatooed in a very intimate place !

Funny old world innit ?
 
chinita said:
These guys may well have been training hard for a forthcoming regatta. They will have spent many hours in the gym doing circuit training and weights throughout the winter months.

They also may well have been in the middle of a structured time trial between given points on the river.

They are not out there for a gentle row a'la Eton Boating Song, it is serious business. I can well understand why they are aggrieved when obstructed by a smiling guy ghosting along enjoying a lovely Sunday morning. Whilst I cannot condone their behaviour, I can understand it.
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Always used to drive me a bit crazy. You've spent the whole winter getting up at 7 am at the weekends, going down to the club after work, training your guts out, and just when it's getting to the serious end of the year - between the head of the river and Henley (March - July, particularly mid May - June), the Romford navy come out and charge about the place kicking up wash. Flat water is everything to oarsmen/women (never rowers. Oarsmen. And blades are blades, NOT oars). You do get slightly proprietorial about the river. Where were they in January, when it was snowing?

I might have cursed sotto voce at the Romford Navy, but did manage not to tell them what I thought of them. Or the pi55heads on the party boats who shout "in, out, in, out, ha ha ha".

Needless to say, I basked in my superiority of fitness and self denial.
 
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dylanwinter said:
On Sunday morning I was sailing on the Ouse above York - it was a lovely morning with just enough breeze to make progress against the current

then a coxless four came along and one of the blokes told me to get out of the way

and that I was on the wrong side of the river.....

he even told me to stop smiling

he was a young man, his testosterone was running high and I am sure that he does not get that many sailing boats on his river



D
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Ignore them and keep on smiling = people like that are not worth the effort and people like you are worth paying attention to.
 
Wouldn't normally condone being rude to people as not worth it but for some people, exceptions have to be made.

If they are doing the irritating hooray superior piece why not respond with a "oh how sweet, I do so admire the effort you're putting in with so little talent. It is a shame you can't afford a proper boat with sails."

Then leg it.
 
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