Virtual rowing and PicoMicroYacht - there is no need to rush

Although PicoMicroYacht is prominent in this blog, most of my rowing is done on a rowing machine, a WaterRower made by BritishRowing - 'virtual rowing.'

The WaterRower has the advantage is that it is mainly made of wood and it stacks upright, such that it is more tasteful and takes up less space. It also uses paddles in a water filled barrel for inertia.

The paddle feature means that instead of metalic whirring, there is a more natural swishing noise, as illustrated in this video.

My WaterRower has lasted many years, although I had to replace the plastic barrel, having damaged it when trolleying (it has wheels)  into another room and catching the barrel on the door frame.

Virtual rowing keeps me fit throughout the year and then when I go out in PicoMicroYacht I am able to row the long distances.

Like all rowing machines it needs the right coordinated smooth action. I learned this action in boats at school, firstly with a fixed seat, then moving onto sliding seats in quite easy to row skiffs.

The first sculling boat I raced  was clinker and had the disadvantage that when it dried out in the winter through non-use gaps appeared between the planks. It sank rapidly before the planks swelled again.

I soon moved on to smooth wooden sculling shells. In the 1970s these had not really progressed in design for over 50 years. The one shown below was used by my father's cousin at Henley in 1923 and is similar to the one I raced some 50 years later.

A smooth rowing technique can be obtained through following a few simple rules and starting at a slow rate.

WaterRower instruction video

The instructional videos for rowing machines can be quite good, but the techniques are not always  technically perfect. Some fantastic techniques can be found in race videos. I found this commentary on Zach Purchase, an English Olympic gold medalist lightweight rower - his technique is amazing.

The main approach is of course to lead with the leg movement and then the upper body and finally the arms, reversing this on the recovery. When learning I found I had to be careful not to do what we used to call a 'bum shoving' in which the sliding seat moves faster than the shoulders at the start of the stroke..

Technique and common rowing faults to watch out for are also seen on this webpage from  British Rowing

https://www.britishrowing.org/knowledge/online-learning/techniques-and-training/water-rowing-technique/

Interestingly, technique may not be everything. For example, spot the difference in technique between the O'Donovan brothers below. They still went on to win silver medals in the Rio Olympics.

When I was learning to row our  main coaches  had been influenced the successful East German international rowing teams. They had instituted very long slides, with greater compression at the front end of the stroke. This required special training to implement.

One of our coaches, Ronnie Howard, had introduced systems of high intensity interval training  in the early 1960s, again copying the East Germans.  This had produced notable success and is now commonplace.

It superceded lengthy rowing at a more steady state to obtain form.  We used steady rowing in the winter to build up form, changing to interval training towards the summer to produce speed.

I remember the toughness of the training and the feeling of apprehension beforehand.

Interval training in a quadruple sculling boat in 1975, rowing number two

I now row steadily in PicoMicroYacht, enjoying the rhythm of  swishing along, the vibrant sea blues and greens, the salt smell and the undulations of the waves. There is no reason to rush.

Exploring the route to Portsmouth and an unusual view of a train

Although I had finished 'London's Lost Route the Sea'  I remained curious about how the boats had carried on to Portsmouth.  The Portsmouth and Arundel canal used to link the river Arun with Chichester Harbour where the inland estuaries provided a route to Portsea Island (see the tiled map below).

The route then passed onwards via the Thorney Channel and then through the Langstone Channel. This latter part I wanted to explore.

The channel between Langstone Quay and North Hayling was dredged originally, as shown in the map below. The remains of this 'new cut' can still be seen at low tide when it is about six inches deep.

I set off from Emsworth and skirted across the mud flats at high tide towards the channel. Infront of me was a road bridge now connecting Hayling Island to mainland.

Stills from my Tom Tom Camera on the PicoMicroYacht mast

Beyond this were the remains of a railway bridge. To the left of the channel I could still see the remnants of the large cogwheel that enabled bridge movement to let ships through.

The railway was served by a 'puffing billy' train, featured in the short film below. The distinctive puffing sound from the last days of steam locomotion brings back old memories for some.

I was now in the Langstone Channel. Instead of going south, I decided to go northeast to find a small duct connecting Langstone Harbour to Portsmouth Harbour.  Someone had warned me that high tide is needed for the duct, but also the bridge clearances might not be sufficient. I got stuck at a railway bridge.

A snag of going under the bridge was that the trains appeared without warning. This is exactly what happened as I squeezed under the first bridge, the train passing just overhead at about fifty miles an hour. I hardly had thought 'I shouldn't be under here' when the train had gone.

A few more bridges took me through to Portsmouth Harbour. As PicoMicroYacht passed south  a police launch came along to check me out.

Further along I could see the police launches fussing around HM Queen Elizabeth, a huge aircraft carrier still being commissioned.

Finally PicoMicroYacht arrived at Haslar marine, with the distinctive green painted lightship, now used as a restaurant.

Postscript: Close to Langstone Bridge is the home of the famous Langstone Cutters Rowing Club, here seen rowing round the Isle of Wight.

A smooth voyage to Eastbourne as PicoMicroYacht completes the London's Lost Route to the Sea

The voyage had started in February, when under cold clear blue sky PicoMicroYacht went through the centre of London on the River Thames. The aim was to discover London's Lost Route to the Sea,  going onwards through the county of Surrey, down to Sussex and along the South Coast, reaching Eastbourne where my fellow charity runners were completing their run along the South Downs.

The runners had long since completed their event, but I still had the last voyage to complete, from Seaford to Eastbourne.

I picked a calm day. The temperatures were in the high 20's but the voyage would only take three hours rowing. Soon I was looking back towards Seaford with the glassy blue green sea set against the white cliffs..

It was not long before Cuckmere Haven appeared, with the old coastguard cottages to the left, defying nature as the cliffs continue to crumble.

Beyond were the Seven Sisters, undualations in the cliffs between Cuckmere Haven and Birling gap.

The temptation to count them is considerable, even though I have done this many times.

With a knot of tide and a calm sea, PicoMicroYacht was making good progress as I rowed along the Seven Sisters and looked up at the cliffs to see people on the coastal path.

When I reached Birling Gap I could see the metal frame of the steps that enable people on the cliffs to reach the beach.

Beyond this was Beachy Head, the highest cliffs in this part of the coast, with the lighthouse just below on a chalk ledge.

Avoiding the ledges, PicoMicroYacht went further out to sea and I was looking inland at the lighthouse beneath the cliffs.

Rowing on a little I could look back and see the sun starting to dip in the west.

The tide began to rip past the coast as PicoMicroYacht sped onwards. I could tell the speed of the tide from the lobster pot buoys.

The smooth water finished as PicoMicoYacht passed over an underwater ledge. I realised that this is where nasty seas could develop in bad weather and was glad I had avoided them by turning back on my previous voyage.

Finally I was in Eastbourne and going past the pier.

I looked round and saw people sea swimming, thankful I had not gone further in and risked bumping into them.

The more highly trained swimmers looked like sea creatures, whilst the less practiced, with their gaudy hats and floats to attract attention, looked more human.

The voyage was now over and it was time to find the beach by the sailing club and begin the slow task of dragging PicoMicroyacht up the beach.

Earlier on in the year, PicoMicroYacht had come to Eastbourne to celebrate the finish of the FourDaysRunning charity run for CASPA. One of the group had brought along his drone and filmed PicoMicoYacht from the pier.

The musical background to this short video clip by Ronald Binge captures a hot lazy day in early summer for PicoMicroYacht.

Postscript: Just before the FourDaysRunning event, the organiser Ivor Reveley died suddenly in his sleep. With some reflection and sadness, the runners completed the event, but grateful we had come to know this very inspirational leader who had helped so many people through his positive and unselfish approach to life.

Ivor Reveley