WITH the OARSMEN

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 94, 12 July 1927, Page 14

WITH the OARSMEN

"RIGGER”

BY

PRIZE NIGHTS IN PROSPECT

Annual prize-presentations and social gatherings are in the air. The Auckland Rowing Club has set aside Wednesday, July 20, as the date for its gathering, and the Waitemata Club will hold a Saturday night affair three days’ later. For the rest, the weather lately has been much against rowing, and those oarsmen who are keeping up attendances are devoting most of their time to work on the plant. WAITEMATA SENIORS OUT Braving wind and weather, the Waitemata seniors were out last Sunday. The crew lacked Brooker (3), who was away at Dargaville, and D. Smith was rowing behind Jolitsonn rowing behind Johnston, with W. A. Stevenson in the bow seat. Stevenson handles a sweep as well as he does a scull, and the boat moved along nicely. Stevenson is getting in plenty of work, in view of hir impending trip to Melbourne, and tiie senior crew—though no definite announcement has yet been made—has the same object in view. D. SMITH’S PLANS After a very successful career as an oarsman, D. Smith, bow in the Waitemata senior crew, plans to retire from rowing, and concentrate on sculling. Associated with W. A. Stevenson,, Smith has been very successful in double-sculling events at various regattas, and he has expressed his intention of devoting more attention to this phase of the sport. He will be behind Stevenson in the double-sculling events at Henley-on-Yarra in October, when he will, of course, also be rowing with the senior crew, if it goes across. WHERE WAS BERESFORD? Until the English newspapers arrive it will not be possible to say whether Jack Beresford simply did not defend his title in the Diamond Sculls, or

whether he was eliminated in one of the heats. An uncommonly fine sculler, Beresford could lick most of the English professionals, and in the past few years he has collected almost every English and Continental trophy worth winning. SYDNEY VARSITY CREW Sydney newspapers, as well as Sydney oarsmen, are now interested in the proposal that a Sydney Varsity crew, preferably an eight, should send a crew to New Zealand next summer. The visit would be the foreimnner of an exchange of engagements, and might

pave the way to the formation of University rowing clubs in New Zealand. Actually, there is more official rowing in the secondary schools of New Zealand than in the Universities, and that is not saying much, as Christ College and Wanganui Collegiate School are the only schools at which rowing is an official sport. The Australian Universities’ race for the Oxford and Cambridge Cup is rowed in every Australian State in turn. The inclusion of New Zealand would make the event still more interesting. OLYMPIC CANDIDATES The Australian Rowing Council had hoped to stage tests of scullers on the Yarra in October, so that a good Olympic Games representative could have been selected. Now, however, the New South Wales Rowing Association has turned the suggestion down. It appears to consider its own champion, R. McVilly, so superior to other candidates that tests would be superfluous. The “Bulletin” takes the New South Wales Association severely to task for its attitude, and asks who is to say that South Australia, Queensland, or West Australia does not hold a sculler capable of beating Pearce. If the tests materialise, W. A. Stevenson, of Auckland, will possibly have an opportunity to participate. NOVEL COACHING CRAFT Illustrated American papers are lately featuring a novel craft which is used for coaching purposes. It is m the form of a barge built on the lines of the punts which are such a feature of the English Henley, except that it is very much bigger. It is sufficiently wide in beam to allow of a gangway along the centre of the craft from end to end, and on each side are seated the recruits, whose work is rigged the same as an ordinary practice boat in regard to outriggers and slides. These strange craft are built to seat either 16 or 20 men, exclusive of coxswain and coach. The coach is able to walk up and down the gangway, and supervise the work of each man in the boat. Their work is done under much steadier conditions than is possible in an ordinary boat, because of the stability due to increased size and beam, which should be a distinct advantage. DOING IT TO MUSIC

The coach of the Pennsylvania University includes in his training equipment a couple of musicians, the idea being to set the time for the men. This is “doing it to music” in a new form. Another American innovation is the construction of a racing sculling boat of metal, in place of wood. The craft in question was built for Walter Hoover, the national sculling champion of U.S.A. His boat is made of duraluminium, a metal noted for its lightness and strength. The weight of Hoover’s boat is 261 b. This is much the same as the “best” sculling boats made by Australian builders, which are about 251 b to 271 b when they leave the stocks. After use they generally increase in weight, dye to absorbing a certain amount of moisture, and then would weigh about 301 b. Doubtless the idea of Hoover’s boat is to secure greater strength in the “skin,” or covering material. In wooden boats this is necessarily so very thin that it is easily damaged. The idea of metal boats is by no means new, but the opinion of expert boatbuilders is that they lack the buoyancy of a well-built racing shell of orthodox type.