Feeling like your small-boat skills have plateaued and you need a breakthrough? Try taking out one of the club's non-competitive shells. In the words of our very own small-boat guru, Hugh Lade, “The club's Bay 21s, Maas Aeros, Maas 24s and wherries are ideal boats for members of all experience levels to fine tune techniques and accelerate skill development in a safe manner.”
Thank you, Lowly Wherry! Today I was reminded of my most valuable sculling “Aha!” moment. I had rowed a single with Bill Tytus’ and Frank Cunningham’s competitive group for many months, repeatedly hearing their description of the counter-motion transition between the drive and the recovery. Even with daily drills to develop the smooth, quick move that keeps the hull riding flat, I simply didn’t get it. One morning, Bill told us all to row in wherries. The added resistance of the wherry slowed my drive a fraction of a second, which was just enough to finally feel the final shoulder squeeze and subtle weight shift toward the stern that nearly eliminates hull bouncing and pitching. Thousands of words and hours of drills hadn’t penetrated as well as 15 minutes in the wherry. Also, the Bays and Aeros, though a bit quicker and lighter feeling, can offer the stability to try scary stuff, such as the strong leap into the catch or trickier boat-handling procedures. They are decidedly less affected by summertime power boat wakes. If you are looking for a short-cut to faster rowing, consider stepping back into the “beginner” boats for a day or week.
LWRC Sculling programs are open to all LWRC members rowing in single sculls. We have programs available for a range of levels. Visit the LWRC Programs Page for details. LWRC has annual memberships available. Become a Member