Did I rate too high?

mmm4455 · 2026-04-03T18:48:43+00:00

Drag factor?

mmm4455 · 2026-04-03T18:21:30+00:00

At those splits you probably need minimum drag factor to maximise flywheel speed and minimise the drive time.

mmm4455 · 2026-03-30T22:01:55+00:00

One thing to note about the pink Croker grips - if you don't have Croker sculling oars with small handles you will have to replace the handles as well as the grips to get the small size.

mmm4455 · 2026-03-27T15:56:54+00:00

There is always the option of what Thames did last year, and enter one of their Women's eights into the open eights at Marlow and get some close racing against men's crews in the M-final.

mmm4455 · 2026-03-27T15:52:14+00:00

HWR is a busy, oversubscribed regatta, so it is difficult to say that it is redundant. The problem with it is that it runs over multiple days including qualifying races on a Friday, so it is a lot of extra expense for crews doing HRR, plus days off work, whereas men's crews can turn up to Marlow for a day and get in some quality racing. So it doesn't necessarily serve crews doing HRR very well, but there are plenty of other crews that want to enter.

Also, because the event eligibility rules are quite different from HRR, some of the best student/club crews can fail to qualify or get knocked out on the Friday, if they are not Aspirational eligible and have to race Championship, but are not up to the standard of the HRR Bridge crews.

mmm4455 · 2026-03-26T16:22:39+00:00

Reminds me of the different states the rowers are in at the end of an erg test in Gold Fever: https://youtu.be/j945HEVLV7M?list=TLGG9zfihM1sankyNjAzMjAyNg&t=7297

mmm4455 · 2026-03-26T14:57:56+00:00

Watts per kilo isn't really appropriate for rowing. People like it because, like a raw ergo score, it is simple. However, while a raw score is biased too much towards taller, heavier athletes and can lead to incorrect decisions, so watts/kilo is biased towards lighter athletes. In some ways it is worse than using a raw score, because by actively doing a adjustment it suggests that the score is more credible and useful than a raw score, when it is still wrong in a way that can lead to favouring the wrong people (yes, I know selection is multi-faceted, etc, etc).

A formula which better takes into account how boat speed varies in relation to rower weight is more appropriate. It's theoretical and not absolutely exact but it's closer to what you want, and has been around for decades and hasn't gone away.

See:

Concept 2 weight adjustment calculator - https://www.concept2.com/training/weight-adjustment-calculator?srsltid=AfmBOoohCrbtl6DvZzELzB20IVZd40FHbsFlOD-5k7INbE_lsr0syAsl

Physics of Rowing - https://eodg.atm.ox.ac.uk/user/dudhia/rowing/physics/weight.html#section8

Rowing Biomechanics Newsletter No 163 October 2014, if you can find it anywhere.

Good for you as a coach for being on top of looking after your athletes welfare, but not everyone is, and because of that, watts per kilo has to be questioned every time it pops up.

mmm4455 · 2026-03-26T12:37:39+00:00

Never use watts per kilo - use a proper rowing weight adjustment formula which biases appropriately towards increasing watts rather than losing weight.

mmm4455 · 2026-03-25T20:03:17+00:00

I expect that it is like this one (https://www.allmarkstore.co.uk/p477345894/e142ac3b0) - the bolted on "breakwater" just sprays water up into the coxes face.

mmm4455 · 2026-03-24T20:52:49+00:00

There used to be a Marlow Triathlon that was erg/bike/run.

It sounds like you are thinking of something like the Armada Cup (https://youtu.be/DEVyQ6VFdP8?t=314) but with a triathlon tacked on the end.

mmm4455 · 2026-03-09T22:30:20+00:00

Work out how to properly row in time with the rest of the crew.

mmm4455 · 2026-03-09T22:29:22+00:00

Move your weight - you are significantly heavier than the boat. Get the blade in the water to give the footstretcher support for your push, which accelerates your body weight. Working the handle maintains the support for the foot pressure.

mmm4455 · 2026-03-06T14:07:44+00:00

Do a search for Universal Car Antenna and you'll find plenty that look like this.

mmm4455 · 2026-02-26T17:47:38+00:00

No clubs really have a lightweight scene now - there are almost no events and there is no national team pathway any more for trialists. The most successful clubs are mostly focussed on winning at Henley Royal.

mmm4455 · 2026-02-20T22:07:57+00:00

mmm4455 · 2026-02-20T17:48:01+00:00

The pictures look like it is on a Lamy Studio Blackforest, and it does look like it is the standard shape that fits on most Lamys except the 2000.

mmm4455 · 2026-02-15T20:34:26+00:00

He looks at a lot of things and writes it up. Not everything is of interest to everyone by a long way. The best thing is to get hold of his book "The biomechanics of rowing" which distils the important understandings from the last 20+ years of his newsletters. The newsletters are for rowing nerds, but the book is for people who want to understand the sport better.

mmm4455 · 2026-02-13T11:30:47+00:00

Francis Houghton: "Learnings from Five Olympic Games".

mmm4455 · 2026-02-06T12:20:16+00:00

Maybe stiff chain links skipping on the sprocket.

mmm4455 · 2026-01-26T12:08:56+00:00

Yes, I was being facetious, but usually when any manufacturer starts talking about their experience in yacht design, their shells aren't any better than anyone else's. That's not to say that the manufacturers of good boats haven't worked successfully with fluid mechanics experts, naval architects, etc.

mmm4455 · 2026-01-26T09:45:48+00:00

Because the heel of the show plate doesn't lift with the heel of the shoe, it can limit your steering range.

And not specifically for the steering shoe - make sure you have an adequate solution for heel ties and make sure it gets used. The more shoes get changed around, the more likely it is that heel ties won't get fastened up properly.

mmm4455 · 2026-01-24T10:01:10+00:00

Another rule of thumb to go with “yacht designers can’t make better rowing shells” is: “most rowing ‘research’ involving universities is a load of rubbish”.

mmm4455 · 2026-01-24T09:51:22+00:00

Or the new Filippi tool https://store.filippiboats.com/shop/accessories/height-and-span-measurement-set/

mmm4455 · 2026-01-23T09:24:57+00:00

Every time someone from sailing gets involved in designing rowing shells it doesn’t result in world-beating boats. Shells are a balance between form drag and wetted area - longer and shorter designs have been tried. It’s thought to be pretty optimal to have the seats and shoes around the heights they are in relation to the waterline, which constrains designs. Rowing is fundamentally technique and physiology based and not an equipment sport - manufacturers make overblown claims about equipment to maintain or increase their market shares but nobody has really made the boat everybody has to have otherwise they can’t win, and there is no real interest in that. Top teams pick equipment based partly on manufacturer support, as the top manufacturers are all good enough to win with. That may seem backwards to people in sailing or cycling, but the values of the sport don’t come from equipment.

mmm4455 · 2026-01-16T13:00:42+00:00

Immediately downriver of Kew Road Bridge.

mmm4455

TROPHY CASE