ROWING 



heat for the ' Grand Challenge' at Henley, of which 

 Oxford won 3 and Cambridge 2 encounters; and 

 once Oxford beat Cambridge in an encounter for 

 the ' Gold Cup ' at the now extinct Thames regatta 

 of the 'forties.' 'Outriggers' were first used by 

 the two university crews in 1846. Sliding seats 

 were first used by them in 1873. ' Keelless ' eights 

 were first used by them in 1857. In 1845 the 

 Putney to Mortlake course was first adopted for 

 these matches. Outriggers are a contrivance for 

 artificially extending the gunwales of a boat, so 

 as to give the required leverage for the oar in the 

 rowlock, while the rest of the hull is narrowed to 

 offer less resistance to the water. The earliest 

 application of the principle was with wooden out- 

 riggers on the Tyne before 1836. Iron outriggers 

 were first used by H. Clasper for a Tyne firm in a 

 Thames regatta in 1844. 



Professional Racing. The earliest recorded pro- 

 fessional champion sculling race was in 1831, when 

 one Campbell, Thames waterman, beat one Williams 

 for the championship of the Thames from West- 

 minster to Putney. In 1847 the Putney to Mort- 

 lake course was first adopted for these watermen's 

 matches. In 1859 the title first left the Thames, and 

 was won by R. Chambers of the Tyne. It oscillated 

 between the representatives of these rivers, aliens 

 and colonials now and then competing unsuccess- 

 fully, until 1876, when E. Trickett of Australia 

 beat J. Sadler of the Thames. Since that date the 

 sculling premiership has oscillated between Canada 

 and Australia ; E. Hanlan of Toronto, W. Beach 

 of Sydney, and W. Searle of Sydney being the 

 most noted holders. In 1889 Searle the holder 

 died ; and there l>eing no tribunal to decide which 

 two of various aspirants had the first claim to 

 compete for the vacancy, or how many must com- 

 pete before a new premier could be recognised, 

 some doubt arose as to which, M'Lean or S tans- 

 bury of Australia or O'Connor, United States, had 

 the best claim at this moment to the honour. 



The 'Amateur Sculling Championship' is symbol- 

 foed by the ' Wingtield Sculls,' established in 1830. 

 The trophy now carries with it the amateur cham- 

 pionship of England. The holder has to meet the 

 best of all challengers once a year, on a date fixed 

 by a committee of old champions, about July, or 

 to abandon in favour of the best challenger. 



Regattas. Henley regatta was founded 1839. 

 In 188B the course was changed as to some 300 

 yards of its length, to avoid a corner which gave 

 unfair advantages. It is now a three days' meet- 

 ing, and comes off early in July each year. The 

 prizes are 'Grand Challenge,' for best eight oars ; 

 ' Stewards' Cup,' for best four oars ; ' Ladies' Plate,' 

 for college and school eights; 'Thames Cup,' for 

 second-class eights ; ' Wytold Cup,' for second-class 

 fours; 'Visitors,' for college and school fours; 

 'Silver Goblets," for any pair of oarsmen; and 

 ' Diamond,' for sculls. By first and second class 

 eights and fours are meant the classes which 

 usually compete at the races referred to e.g. no 

 one who rows for ' Grand Challenge ' may row for 

 ' Thames Cup ' the same year ; nor if he rows for 

 ' Stewards' ' lours may he row in a Wyfold crew ; 

 and as the ' Grand ' and ' Steward ' are the more 

 valuable prizes, the better eights and fours usually 

 elect to do battle for them, and the weaker reserve 

 themselves for the lesser races. There are other 

 regattas of less importance e.g. ' Metropolitan," 

 on the Thames tideway, Kingstpn-on-Thames, 

 Walton-on-Thames, Moulsey, Reading, &c. ; and 

 provincial regattas at Tewkesbury, Bridgnorth, 

 Worcester, Tyne, Durham, Burton-on-Trent, Bed- 

 ford, &c. 



The best regattas affiliate themselves to the 

 'Amateur Rowing Association,' a sort of jockey 

 dub of oarsmanship, the object of which is to pro- 



mote rowing, and to put a stop to performances 

 inconsistent with amateur status e.g. rowing for 

 money prizes, and the introduction of competitions 

 against artisans, mechanics, &c. Such classes, by 

 making a business of muscular toil, have an advan- 

 tage for muscular development over amateurs, whose 

 more sedentary vocations give them less opportunity 

 for developing muscle. At the same time it is the 

 opinion of good judges that at the present day the 

 best amateur oarsmen would in rowing defeat the 

 best professional oarsmen. In sculling, apparently, 

 the test colonial professional scullers are still 

 superior to the best British amateur scullers ; but 

 the British professionals are probably no tetter 

 than, if so good as, the average amateur Winglield 

 sculler of the present day. The Amateur Rowing 

 Association publishes a code of regatta rules. All 

 regattas which are affiliated to the Amateur Row- 

 ing Association adopt this code. Oarsmen who 

 row at regattas where this code is not in force 

 become thereby ineligible to row afterwards at 

 regattas where it holds good. 



Professional Regattas and Prizes. A professional 

 regatta for watermen was revived in 1890 and pro- 

 misee to continue. It is under the patronage of 

 the leading amateurs of the day. There were 

 similar regattas between 1843 and 1849 inclusive, 

 again between 1854 and 1866 inclusive, and again 

 between 1868 and 1876 inclusive. In the other 

 years not specified no local professional regattas 

 were conducted by leading amateurs ; but in 1876- 

 77-78 a ' speculative ' regatta for gate-money and 

 traffic purposes was got up by the Steamboat 

 Company and contingent railways. ' Doggett's 

 Coat and Badge ' is an old-established race dating 

 from 1719. Mr Doggett, a comedian, provided it. 

 It is for watermen's apprentices ; the winner gets 

 an ornamental red coat, a silver badge, and ' free- 

 dom ' of the Thames i.e. his fees for taking up his 

 freedom as a waterman are paid for him. No 

 one who is not 'free' of the Thames may ply 

 for hire upon it to carry passengers. This regula- 

 tion dates from days when the Thames was more 

 of a highway for passenger rowing boats than it 

 now is. \Vatermen's wherries then plied from 

 numerous stairs, and it was important that none 

 but competent and certified oarsmen should have 

 the charge of passengers. There are other coats 

 and badges extant, given at divers times by phil- 

 anthropists to encourage watermen's apprentices. 

 An apprentice has to serve seven years to a water- 

 man before he is qualified to be ' free ' of the river. 



Bumping Races. In 'bumping' races at the 

 universities the varions boats start in line, 120 feet 

 apart, by signal of cannon. The order of starting 

 depends on order of precedence in the last previous 

 race, whether the same year or the year before. If 

 a boat is touched from behind in the race, both 

 boats row into the bank, and the ' bumped ' boat 

 loses a place and changes order next time with 

 the Iwat that so ' bumped ' it. The head boat of 

 the river at Oxford holds a challenge cup given 

 in 1862 by the late Mr G. Morrison. 



Time Races. At Oxford and Cambridge, owing 

 to the narrowness and curvatures of their respective 

 rivers, other races, such as for four oars or sculls, 

 are rowed as ' time ' races. The boats start two at a 

 time, 80 yards apart, their respective winning-posts 

 are the like distance apart, and their respective 

 arrivals at their goals are announced by pistol shots. 



Level Racing Rulet, Ac. In regattas and matches 

 boats start abreast, and in modern times to ensure 

 equal starting the rudder of each competitor is held 

 from a starting-boat, one for each racing crew, 

 moored in line. ' Fouling ' is not allowed ; each 

 boat has to keep its own water ; the umpire i sole 

 judge of the course and of fouling, and usually 

 follows the race in a fast eight or steam-launch. 



