The rower/sculler/-insert your own word here- question

Outinthedinghy

Outinthedinghy

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I was out in the dinghy earlier, between Cookham and Marlow and there was a regatta on, lots of scullers going upstream from Cookham sailing club. As they were progressing towards the railway bridge there was a bloke with a megaphone on the Cock Marsh bank shouting 'LOOK AHEAD TO YOUR RIGHT, CENTRE ARCH OF THE BRIDGE'. As scullers/rowers/ are looking the opposite way to which they are travelling they keep having to turn round to ensure they aren't getting into a collision situation. I can't help thinking this turning round is both bothersome and liable to result in a reduction in power during the pulling stroke.

so...

Why don't they use MIRRORS???????

surely its not rocket science.
 
Some Rowers do have Mirrors they seem a sensible accessory to me. I saw one young lady with a contrivance fitted to her head which allowed her to look forward.
Maybe there's some reason they don't make more use of them.
 
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I saw one young lady with a contrivance fitted to her head which allowed her to look forward.


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I think those ones are called 'Eyes' /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif - it was more the idea of looking 'backwards' I was interested in as these sporty types do seem to insist on travelling across the water in a manner which does not correspond with logic
 
As a long term and proficient sculler can I assure you that It is sufficient to glance over each shoulder in turn at reasonble intervals to be aware of obsrtructions, paricularly when sculling on a familiar part of the river and it does not impede progress.
I assume that the case to which you referred was one of the numerous events on the Thames at which marshalls are posted at intervals along the course to ensure safety and give guidance when necssary particularly to competitors who are unfamiliar with that reach. The Environment Agency also close or limit navigation for the period of theses races for safety reasons. Should you have been out in your dinghy at that time?
Can I assure you that there are at least as many ill mannered and inconsiderate motorboaters on the river as careless rowers.
The Amateur Rowing Association has a water safety code used in the training of all rowers - how many motorboaters have received any tuition before they plough down the middle of the river at excess speed?
Why do we do it? Refer to the results of the last Olympics.
 
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As a long term and proficient sculler can I assure you that It is sufficient to glance over each shoulder in turn at reasonble intervals to be aware of obsrtructions, paricularly when sculling on a familiar part of the river and it does not impede progress.
I assume that the case to which you referred was one of the numerous events on the Thames at which marshalls are posted at intervals along the course to ensure safety and give guidance when necssary particularly to competitors who are unfamiliar with that reach. The Environment Agency also close or limit navigation for the period of theses races for safety reasons. Should you have been out in your dinghy at that time?
Can I assure you that there are at least as many ill mannered and inconsiderate motorboaters on the river as careless rowers.
The Amateur Rowing Association has a water safety code used in the training of all rowers - how many motorboaters have received any tuition before they plough down the middle of the river at excess speed?
Why do we do it? Refer to the results of the last Olympics.

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Hi, I've not had a problem with scullers/rowers/ on the river at all but I have seen and heard of incidents and collisions I'm sure could have been avoided if mirrors were fitted to the boats.
Yes I was 'allowed' to be out in the dinghy (its got a license) and when advised by a marshall to navigate more centrally and over to the left I did as the scullers were approaching from behind me, looking backwards and I was progressing looking forwards so the marshalls were concerned for my safety as the scullers were liable to 'mow me down'.

The point is there are many users of the river, some more considerate than others, this happens in all walks of life but there is one group who are navigating in such a way as they can not actually see where they are going. Is this actually LEGAL?
something along the lines of 'always keep a proper lookout'.
 
Why should we be upset? His comments are lucid and fair.

He queried Outinthedinghy being out in the dinghy but didn't say he had no right to be out in the dinghy.
 
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The Environment Agency also close or limit navigation for the period of theses races for safety reasons. Should you have been out in your dinghy at that time?


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Not strictly true as it would take an act of parliament to be passed to stop navigation on the Thames for whatever reason….

That’s why red boards don`t stop navigation…in fact the only time the river is closed is when it is unnavigable due to work or collapse …..

You mention safety …surely it`s not unreasonable to ask that a rower doing 20 mph backwards among other river users to wear a small reversing mirror so they could see what they are about to hit…..
 
I have seen scullers two abreast coming down the Desborough cut between Walton on Thames and Weybridge not using mirrors!! It took a couple of loud bursts on the horn to avoid a very nasty accident. I was stationary deciding if it was possible to out run them running astern
 
It seems to me those who row (my son included), if serious about their sport would be better off on Dorney Lake. Unless of course watching with disdain as powered craft pass at snail like speed or indeed shouting commands to motor boaters who are travelling on tickover is part of the soggy fun. Get a life........
 
Oh, I have a good life and always keep smiling. I to used to row and have seen first hand problems from both sides of the fence (so to speak). I suppose it is a few bad apples from both sides that cause the problems.

I am always surprised how aggressive people can get, even over a debate!
 
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The Agency can close the river temporarily for a regatta / race / whatever providing it gives X weeks notice . It's not just closed in emergencies.

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That’s interesting information …perhaps you could expand on that as to how it`s done as I`m sure there’s a lot of potential regatta organisers on here would love to close therir stretch of the river over a bank holiday weekend so they can race in peace….

Do they have to pay….what do they do with the big queue that forms..also what do they tell the angry mobo owners who can`t reach home….

…..
 
I don't know the ins and outs of it i'm afraid , i'm just a minion who opens and closes gates , but take the Head of the River race in March , the river is closed to navigation between Hampton Court Bridge and Trowlock Island from 1330 to 1530 for the race to take place ..

How about the Great River Race at that starts at Eel Pie Island ( admittedly in PLA waters ) , the river is closed for that for a few hours.

I didn't mean that they would close it for the whole day.
 
The interesting thing for me is why virtually no boats have mirrors fitted. We wouldn't think of driving cars without them why our boats?

I bought a ski boat mirror some years ago and find it very helpful on the river - particularly for keeping an eye on rowers who often overtake!
 
I find this subject so difficult. I am an ex-rower, but see some awful behaviour. Today:

- a coxless 4 went to pass me on the inside while I was moving to the bank to let them by. Thankfully I saw them and moved out. I was trying to do this with low revs to reduce wash but it didn't seem to bother them...
- a single heading upstream met a double passing me (again, I had moved over). They nearly collided and the single swore at the double in a manner quite unfitting fore a man of his age to girls of theirs who, to their credit, apologised for getting caught out by the stream split at the head of the island
- nutcase supporting the rowers in a personal watercraft creating huge wash... why do I bother to slow down when the trainers break all the rules?

Grrrrr
 
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Was the river not closed for a short time due the "duck race" at Hampton Court a few short summer weeks ago?

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Yes, and last year as well, but only for an hour os so I think.

There are very rare occasions when the EA actually close the river to traffic. Mostly, though, event organisers are given permission to 'fence off' areas for regattas etc with one side of the river clearly marked so that normal traffic can continue on the other side. Even Henley does not close the river for the regatta and I am certainly not aware of any stretches upstream where a complete closure is a regular occurence.

Anyways, all this is a diversion. The original poster raised a very valid issue, IMHO, about how well scullers are able to see where they are going.

How would you cope with a situation I had last year when a coxed eight screamed up behind me in the Desboruough Cut yelling at me to get out of the way?

Or the situation a few years back when I exited SUnbury lock heading upriver and found the lock cut near the pub literally unpassable due to a mass of single sculls waiting to race?
 
This was Cookham on Saturday afternoon just before the off. Quite well organised compared to last year when it was a shambles due to a delayed start!
RowersCookham.jpg

There were 120 of them according to the man with the megaphone in Cookham
 
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