RWOING NOTES.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 13, 15 January 1877, Page 2

RWOING NOTES.

s~\^ '-■>■■; BIC pROTBOS. :-....; •.. A».;tiie time " draws' near for the regatta the more interest appears to be taken, as is evidenced by the large number of people o£ both who: make a point of visiting the Port |ejjrijjry /evening.' : The vicinity of the NavaTßriglder-is thronged with visitors, and as each crew goes out they are freely criticised, and their different 1 points expatiated upon. A number of bookmakers have also put in an appearance, Wd may be seen ' moving about among the crews try to get the Trup-w— .— -™ -- '■ s

*, Fdrrthe. champion, outrigger race all the 'boats are out' both morning and evening. Thejrowing of the Wellington crews is al--kwed^tdkbe'th« moat scientific, though they both seem to have a knack of fouling the water in going' 'forward, which not only qh^cks the way of the boat between the strokes, but also causes her to lurch. If the stretcher .haa not been placed too^short, the fault will be) either^ that the hands do not ..drop! sufficiently at the stroke, or that they n ax& not shot out quickly enough from the chest so-a^ to' f clear the-. knees before the latter begin to i rise from their natural bend as the body swings forward. The Thames drew have not as yet got a speed out of their boat which will carry, them to the front. They seem to have a stroke of their own. There is a mistake- in it which I would recommend them to avoid, viz., clipping. It is easy! to hit the water by rowing the first part of the stroke in the air, and so getting an impetus on the blade, but in such a case it is not the first part but the middle of the stroke that is caught, the first part being nonexistent (in the water.) To avoid this the hands should be carefully shot out at the . proper ; level, not too low. The stroke, when once caught, most be held, drawing it well through. When it is " dropped " after being carefully caught, it is because legs and body ;, are not actively in concert, the body has been thrown sharply on, but the legs have not backed it up by rigid resistance. The legs must be ready to feel the stretcher and to stiffen against it the instant the body feels the strain of the stroke. The Thames crew may believe the theory enunciated by me to j. be unorthodox, but ckacun a son gout. The Nelson crew have improved to such a great extent that those who thought least of them , are now prone to believe that they will stand a good show. Since the change in the crew L ha3 been made the boat has travelled much faster, and. her speed, is now opening the eyes > of; the . other, crews. They have, of courge, their faults, ; which there 13 no time now to gefciover, .The bow oar does not yet sif square. His shoulders should be set well ri back;aud stiffened. Any attempt to stretch them; as he reaches out, and so to add to his reach, loses more than it gains. Without entering into anatomical reasons, it- is well known- to . every rowing man that the shoulders' so 'stretched lose rigidity, and stretch still more" tinder the strain of the -strokes, and the tautness of the grip on the water is iniarred; : Tbe crW have a longer awing back than any other. A long awing back may find disfavor with many, for it i 3 always, held and allowed that the first part of tbe stroke is the important part, and the latter is often-supposed to be but a mere adjunct. It must be borne in mind that though the body has most physical power at the commencement of the stroke, it endures most exhaustion in the recovery. If recovery were an inexhaustible power, the most rapid style of rowing would be several strokes per minute short, the oar catching the water only just behind the rowlocks, leaving it almost as soon as it had passed it. This is why a short quick "snatch" can often take a lead at first in a race. But. the demands of recovery alter the whole position of affairs. The greatest physical ? power takes place atone time in the stroke, and the greatest mechanical power in another. The further the body 'swings back, the later is it necessary for the arms to commence their bend, and consequently a greater amount of that work at which the mechanical power of the oar is greatj3r:.is done, with still rigid arms, and with use of the body and loins. This last point, is too much overlooked, and though there, is no denying thai; the body ia weaker at the: end than at the beginning of tbe stroke; there is also no.' denying that a long gwing back materially adds to the pace of a boat.; The Kaiapoi and Tiin&ru crews s.eem to be-in good fettle, and are hard at work. Nelson, Timaru, and Kaiapoi will carry coxswains, while only the Stella and Cam will use the sliding seats. The Nelson boat is . allowed on all sides to be the beat one, the lightest;:finest lined; carries her crew as well as the others, and doe 3 not " bob " on the conclusion of a stroke. Having seen all the boats out several times, I am inclined to think that the race will lie between Wellington and Nelson. Notts verrons.

. An addition to the four-oared inrigged boats was made on Saturday morning by the unexpected arrival of Mr Brown from Greymouth with a boat and crew. I saw her out this morning. She seems to go along very well considering her size. She is the largest boat here, and in rough weather will be all about. The other crews are busily practising both night and morning. The crews for the Wellington boats will be the same as in the outrigger race, but the Nel3on crew will be slightly different. At present I do not see why Nelson should not hold her own. The whaleboat race still attracts more attention than ever. At last a crew has been decided on for the Thistle, and they were out on Saturday night. They are very sanguine of success, und think there is no boat or crew like theirs. I hope they will not be disappointed. The Cutty-sark was

launcaed oii Satarday nigfet, ahd had a spin round the; to travel welW The Echo was| out ; this |mbrning, but the craw do hot seem toig§t m,ucfi speed out of her; j The Timaru bba^Jialchad another thwart jjufc into her, and has befeh entered for the race. .I'have'noLseeiPiier out yet. AS crew of lumpers is e^peetea 1 from Wellington on Tuesday. These men, I understand, are possessed of Herculean powers, and are specially adapted for a whaleboat. The Auckland pair-oared boat is frequently out, and I must say that they jow a splendid stroke. The Dolphin jwas out W Saturday night, but the -crew she. Sad ftniaer do uot seem to have been used to hard work, judging by the number of spells they had. The Wellington boat-generally^ goes wife in^fehe'. morning, and I think it will be a tight race betweemthem and Auckland. ' T •. There are noW three sculler's boats here^ all belonging to Wellington.- .Hearn.has.beea. 6bjec6e6Tf»"by "tfie" Committee on the""gr6uncr that he is not an amateur, and his place fa, I understand, to be^^aken by Woods. That the race is an amateur <tae is to be regretted, aa|had Hearn bednallo^ed to start Ave^should kwe witnessed such rowing as has "never been seen here before, and will probati^Qiot be seen again for some time. I have riot seen the other boa&j-ouii yet. '^ .- There will, be iaj^olunteer race, nojfwifchstanding that it $as mentioned by a member of: the 1 Regatta Committee tha.^.thei'oibjer companies were afraid .to tackleithe Naval volunteers.. ., The -< Auxiliary ""F ire Brigade have come to;thef ront, and! believe a strong crew has been got together^ sp that if they get a good boat .they will make- the others .row hard for the^race. i A good race may" ; be expected betweeqithk two NavaLCompanies. The Wellington City RMesjhaveaflsoenj&ered a boati I • ;;; -; .':J. '' "' The' yacht race will probably see onlylhßee boats start. The.Secret is tbe favorite, ,, and is at the top of the Jbetting list.! SHe measures about 20 tons' moire than thepjfahtiet, and will have to. allow her about 19 minutesr^."The Secret will also have to. allcjj? !: !thir Claymore about j22' minutes. As the^ race willrbea long one, her ojvners thin^lhaf she HviU'be able to dq. this. QCii fact her performance:,' at "Lytteltpnvisrh'en she beat the ceiebratedjacht Annie Ogle by p-over one hour out pf a six hours' run, speaks highly of her 'sailing qualities. If the -Wind: should happen 1 to" f be light the other 'yachts will have atsej#er chance. Both will carry a large amdunt n of canvas, and I amT told that the resjpecfiive captains intend to crack on heavily. The coasters' "race 'will be made up of vessels hailing from Nelson, and a good race ia anticipated. - -The schooner- Nelson- arrived ■ this morning, and the Arthur Wakefield . has . been in port a week .getting ready. 1 "■ Both vessels have had some new sails made for the occasion. A good race: is; exp'ecfgd between the two sister cutters Planet and Maid, of Italy. The latter will ; be; all i about^in # heavy breeze,, while, the, former: requires a light wind with smooth sea. Of course a ■ strong breeze will be more suitable for the Nelson and Arthur Wakefield. - (1 .,, „.-...,,,