A Thing for Shoes

(This is a late post from the week of June 21st. This week's post will be coming soon!)

It was a beautiful evening down by the bay, and we were all full of energy and ready to go. We set off with relatively ease, until our coach asked me to adjust my shoes. The 'shoes' are the spots inside the boat where you strap in your feet. They can be adjusted forward and backward to accommodate for the length of your legs. Mine are apparently shorter than the builder had imagined, and a few strokes out into the bay I was asked to adjust them some more. Imagine this:
You're sitting on a seat that slides up and down the boat with ease, and the only control you have is with your legs. Moving about in the very tippy boat is not an easy thing, and once those feet are unstrapped, you are holding your breath to move very, very carefully. The bottom of the boat is very thin - you can not step on it. So you have to find a spot to prop your feet and bend forward (very very carefully), loosen the shoes (easy - just three wingnuts to undo) and slide the whole contraption toward you. The problem is, it's actually rather tough to move the shoes and if you're not careful, they slide right off. Which is what happened to me. I felt like a moron, holding everyone up and struggling away only to have to say, uh, sorry, I can't get this back together. Our very patient coach had to pull the motor boat up the our boat and lean way over the side to fix them. It took a while and it was pretty embarrassing.
The good news is, once we were done we got right down to work and were soon rowing with all eight oars. Not all in time, mind you, but we were definitely moving.
After an hour or so on the water I had caught enough crabs (some of them the ferocious man eating type) to open a fish market, but again, as annoying as that is, I was thrilled that we were actually moving fast enough for it to be a problem!
By the time we docked I was sweating and tired and feeling great. I know I worked hard because I could barely hang on to the boat as we were hauling it out and putting it away.
Things are definitely looking up! We have a long way to go, but I predict that we will at least finish the race!
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Catching Crabs

Unless you're talking fresh seafood, catching crabs is never a good thing. It's embarassing, annoying and, in the world or rowing, a real hazard.
In rowing, 'catching a crab' means that your oar did not clear the water as you were bringing it back for the next stroke. So, the boat is moving, you've just made a long pull through the water and, oops! - the oar gets stuck under water. The boat, of course, is still moving, so your oar keeps moving too... If you're moving fast enough, it could cause you to hit the person in front of you with the oar, knock the whole boat out of its very delicate balance and possibly even send you and your crew into the very murky waters of Hamilton Bay. I even heard that you can knock your front teeth out! Yowch!
Not a good thing.
I managed to survive a few encounters with the dreaded crab tonight - and really, I'm celebrating the fact that we were actually moving fast enough to experience it! We managed to row with all eight oars for the first time (we've been practicing in fours) and as soon as I learn to follow the leader we should be in pretty good shape!
We made it out of the harbour tonight and out onto the bay. It was an absolutely beautiful evening! We worked hard and managed to keep our balance most of the way. Next week our goal is to get in synch, keep the balance and, as always, have fun, fun, fun while learning to row.

So, what's the cure for crabs?
Practice, practice, practice!

See you at Carnegie Hall!

ps... that "Make a Pledge" link on the right really works! You should give it a try and tell all your friends!

Reality Comes Splashing Down

Thursday night we arrived at Leander for our first official lesson. We immediately learned that getting the bus to the water was no easy feat. That sucker is heavy! Boat in water, oars in place, we proceeded to clamber aboard and strap our feet in. So far so good! We had a few minues practicing at the dock before shoving off into lovely Hamilton bay. That's when reality started to sink in.
The shells are very long, very narrow and also very shallow - which means that they are also very tippy! Once our starboard side oars cleared the dock, we began to list alarmingly and, I'm sorry to say, we all screamed like girls. Which made me laugh. Within a few minutes, though, with the patient guidance of our coaches, we managed to balance ourselves and take our fledgling strokes through the water.
I kept imagining us slicing through the water, pulling hard and slipping gracefully across the bay. What I saw, however, when I looked away from my oar, was what appeared to be a giant elongated spider tragically stricken with some arachnid disease that left it completely unable to control its limbs. All eight legs were flailing and splashing spastically about in an insane desperate attempt at motion. I couldn't help myself. I started laughing, long and loud, until my sides were splitting and my oar was all but paralized. It was such great fun!
Eventually we did manage to coordinate ourselves and row a few hundred meters out, turn around (another hilarious feat of uncoordination) and make it safely back on shore. We didn't tip. We didn't crash. And we didn't give up.
Next week we name our team (I'm voting for fuscia shirts and the name "Cox in the Henhouse") and get back out there for round two. It's a huge learning curve, but I'm sure we'll just keep getting better and better.
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Check in next week for more fun and games Down by the Bay!

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