WITH the OARSMEN

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 58, 31 May 1927, Page 12

WITH the OARSMEN

BY

"RIGGER"

SWIVELS AND POPPETS On the merits of swivels and poppets for sweep-oars there will always be controversy. / Poppets* are favoured almost invariably by fresh-water oarsmen and by some whose field is salt-water, generally less sheltered than fresh-water So many good performances have been put up in swivel-rigged boats that no one can be definitely dogmaticon the subject, but in Auckland the argument appears to have reached a crucial stage, and at least one club has half its plant lying idle because of the differences, of opinion. SHELTERED WATER The extension of the tide-deflector wall off St. Mary’s Bay is giving further shelter to the water off the West End Club’s shed, and when the works are developed to their full extent there should be a good mile course in the n eigh b o u r h oo d. Auckland is at present badly in need of a racing course. The trouble is that transport facilities to allow boats to be taken to out of the way places are meagre. Oarsmen have a firm friend in Captain H. H. Sergeant, harbourmaster, and president of the West End Club.

Captain Sargeant might be able to help the rowing association to find a suitable regatta course. Witli his co-operation, at any rate, it should be possible to make arrangements simil a r to those adopted in Wellington, where alternative cour s es are provided for.

THROUGH THE DOMINION

•A glance at the present status of rowing through the Dominion discloses that in nearly all centres the sport is flourishing. In the North Island the main strongholds are Auckland, Hamilton, Wanganui and Wellington, and in the South Picton, Blenheim, Christchurch, Dunedin and Invercargill. Westport, where the Kawatiri Club formerly possessed the champion crew of New Zealand, has not been in the limelight lately. In the North the sport is coming on in New Plymouth, Gisborne. Tolago Bay, and at a lot of country centres near Auckland. This province has one of the finest courses in the country on the Wairoa River, at Dargaville, where conditions are just about ideal, and one of these days a championship regatta should be staged there. AUCKLAND EXPERIENCES Auckland has tong been divided an the subject. The North Shore Club has in the past been consistently successful, and has been unswerving in its allegiance to swivels. On the other hand, the Waitemata Club has been still more successful, and there poppets are the rule. It may be argued that the Waitemata Club has lately been blessed with an extraordinary number of sound and capable oarsmen, but to some degree the argument that poppet-rowing is the more popular may be advanced as a counter-claim. WEST END’S PLANT The West End Club a few years ago used swivels, _ and nothing else but. Lately, however, opinion in the club has swung toward poppets, and the three swivel-rigged practice boats have been idle on their racks. The waste that this represents is aggravated by the fact that oars for the swivels and oars for poppets must necessarily differ. On a sweep used for swivels the haft must be cylindrical, and the leather block must encircle the oar. A club which can afford to keep half its blades and half its boats idle through a season, on account of the preference for poppets, is- in an enviable position. If it cannot afford to keep the plant idle an' alteration one way or the other should be effected. FOR AND AGAINST A point distinctly in favour of swivels is the. reduced maintenance cost. Poppet strings are always breaking, oar-leathers and fittings wear quickly, and the expense generally is higher than in the case of well-made swivels.

On the other hand —and this is the convincing argument in favour of poppets—swivels do not give the oarsman the sense of rhythm and swing that poppet rowing imparts. The clip of the oars in the poppets is a hearty, encouraging sound, telling instantly whether the time is right or wrong. Driving an eight across easyriding water, the poppet-oarsman who is with a good crew realises the bracing - swing and exhilaration of rowing at its best. PRACTICES ELSEWHERE | In other parts of New Zealand the I practice is principally in favour of | poppets. Wanganui, the most consistently successful rowing centre, has always stuck to them. In Wellington only one club out of three adheres to swivels. Practically all the Southern clubs use poppets. Overseas? England is all lor poppets, the Continent mainly for swivels. Using short oars, swivels, and a monstrously fast time, a Belgian crew won the classic Grand Challenge Cup on the Thames. America appears to be divided on the question with poppets rigged on most of the racing eights, and swivels often favoured for fours. STUDENTS FOR WEST END An interesting development likely next summer is the formation of Training College crews rowing from the West End shed. Several Training College students are already members at West End, and more contemplate joining. By starting from an established club they will get the benefit of coaching and practise with experienced oarsmen. Auckland University possesses capable oarsmen, and a race between Varsity and Training College, as a regular fixture for the future, is therefore on the cards. SWIVELS FOR SCULLERS There are some who say that swivels • have one place, and one only. That is, on sculling boats, single-scullers and double-scullers use them because the paddle is firmly gripped by .the gate of the swivel. The shaft can less easily slip in the thole, and rough water is less disconcerting. The same arguments are used by some in favour of swivels, for sweepoarsmen, but they do non necessarily apply. In an eight -oar, four-oar, or even in a pair-oar, the adjustments and balance are not so delicate as in sculling, and the writer'has yet to be shown a good poppet crew put out of action by rough water in which a swivelrigged ship was still seaworthy. * * * HANNAN’S MOVEMENTS •J. P. Hannan is not yet definite in his intentions, but a match with Good - sell for the world’s title is still on tin

cards. At present Goodsell is makii many dollars in the United States, til. land of freely flowing currency, 1 training Varsity crews, lady oarsmi from various colleges, and by doit vaudeville turns. It is a great thii to be a champion sculler—especially America.