Rowing - Boat Drill Your Troop may also have a bigger boat that can be rowed by a crew. This may be a BP 18, a skiff or some other class. These boats will often have 4 oars and each oarsman pulls one oar. There are different ways of arranging oars in multi-oared boats.
To direct a rowing crew, a system of rowing orders is needed. There are some different systems in use and it does not matter much which your Troop uses provided you all understand the same system. The drill given here is the one which has developed over the years as the traditional Sea Scout system.
An effective pulling boat crew must be able to row satisfactorily in time together, must behave correctly in the boat and follow the directions of the coxswain.
Crew assembles on jetty or steps. The oars, spurs and rudder have already been placed on board. The oars are laid on the thwarts on the correct sides, blades forward, bow oars inboard of the stroke oars. The rudder is inboard, just abaft the coxswains thwart. Coxswain embarks first, goes to the stern and ships the rudder.
Conduct in a boat is very important. Remember there is only one person in charge and the crew must obey orders immediately. An ill-disciplined, careless crew can be a danger to themselves and to others. A Sea Scout crew should always be well-behaved and a credit to their own Troop. When rowing, keep your back straight and use the force of your trunk swinging backwards for the main part of the stroke, only bending your elbows when you have leant back as far as you can. Use your arm and shoulder muscles for the last pull on the oar to help you swing forward again. Do not wave the oar blade too high in the air as you swing forward (“skyscraping”) and do not bury the blade too deeply starting the next stroke. 58
