CHAPTER LI

BOAT RACING

The enthusiasm which I have always felt for the noble sport of rowing

induced me, while in command of the _Undaunted_, to publish some notes

on the subject of men-of-war pulling races, and how to win them, the

substance of which is here reproduced, in the hope that they may still

prove of use in the Service.

One of the results of steam and machinery having succeeded masts, yards

and canvas in a man-of-war was the creation of greater interest in

pulling races. The regattas held in different fleets and squadrons had

become yearly events keenly looked forward to by both officers and men.

This was very desirable, not only for the sake of the exercise which it

encouraged (physical exercise of an arduous character being in a

measure lost to the Service since the necessity for masts and yards had

been so diminished) but, for the well-being and good feeling which

healthful exercise invariably produces. Committees were formed, rules

and regulations were laid down in a clear and business-like manner, and

sums of money were given in prizes; which sums amounted on the

Mediterranean Station to about £200--£50 or £60 being given by the

Malta Canteen, and the remainder being raised by subscription among the

officers of the fleet.

Man-of-war boats, being built for fighting and weight carrying are

different from boats built for racing purposes on fresh water; but the

prize will generally be gained by the crew of the man-of-war boat which

has carefully and {498} consistently followed the fundamental

principles upon which races pulled in racing boats on fresh water are

won.

From the time the boat's crew is selected, until her stem has passed

the winning-post, no detail which may add to the chance of a boat

winning should be omitted, no matter how small it may appear.

In selecting a boat's crew, endeavour should be made to have the men

near about the same height, in order to enable them all to take the

same length of stroke with ease to themselves and to make their effort

at the same moment. There should be no great disparity in their

weights. The men all round should be a fairly level lot, which will

make it easier for them to train as a whole. A crew resembles a chain,

in that a crew is no stronger than its weakest man, just as a chain is

no stronger than its weakest link. If a weak or an untrained man be

placed in a boat, he will, soon after the start, throw extra work on

the others. An indifferent crew of twelve men trained alike as to

condition, length of stroke, and pulling accurately together, provided

the boats are equal, will surely win a long race against a crew

composed of ten vastly superior and two indifferently trained men.

Similarly, a heavy boat with an indifferently sized crew, well trained,

will undoubtedly beat a magnificent crew in a good boat, untrained.

A rule should be strictly enforced that individual members of one crew

are not to be trained or to pull with another crew. It is very much

the habit at men-of-war regattas to encourage the best oars in a ship

to pull in two or three (sometimes in four or five) races. This

practice is much to be deprecated, not only in the interest of the man

himself, but in the interest of boat racing. If a man who pulls in

several boats be laid up, he probably jeopardises the chances of

winning several races.

The selection of a coxswain is a most important element in getting a

crew together. He should be a man of a certain seniority, who commands

attention, perfectly cool and collected, of good nerve and

determination. Coxswains {499} defective in these qualities have lost

many races, and coxswains possessing them have just pulled off many

races. The training of the crew must as a rule depend entirely on the

coxswain. For a 12-oared boat he should always, in order to provide

for contingencies, train at least two more men than the number required

in the race.

For smaller boats he should always arrange to train more men than the

actual crew; many races have been lost owing to this detail having been

neglected, and one of the crew having broken down in his training just

before the race.

After the crew is selected, the coxswain with their help and assistance

should draw up certain rules in order to ensure constant and regular

practice, as well as to avoid those hindrances to training to be found

after frequent visits to the canteen. One or two men taking a glass of

beer too much during training has indirectly been the cause of many a

race being lost, owing to the loss of practice to the crew as a whole,

and to the disturbance of that harmony which must exist if a boat's

crew is to be thoroughly trained.

Whether it is from his early training, or from the heavy and clumsy

nature of his oars, or from the weight of the boats he has to pull, the

British bluejacket, as a rule, pulls the worst oar possible to enable

him to stay and pull through to the end a well-contested long race. If

he be left to himself, he sits bolt upright on his thwart, beginning

his stroke from that position, and apparently under the impression that

the expression "Bend your back" indicates that he should bend his back

forward instead of bending it aft; and totally unconscious that when he

falls back towards the bow he only pulls his weight, but that when he

bends forward towards the stern he pulls his strength and his weight;

and he usually holds the loom of his oar with bent arms, frequently

giving one or two jerks during the stroke, the last one of which may

bring his oar out of the water and feather it considerably above his

shoulder. He sometimes adds to these movements a rocking motion from

side to {500} side, beginning by leaning towards the middle of the boat

and then throwing himself towards the boat's side. He almost

invariably has his head turned on his shoulder to see what his oar is

doing, and he often wears a tight belt round his stomach. All these

practices are entirely wrong and are totally opposed to a common-sense

method of urging a boat at speed through the water.

When the boat's crew has been selected, the first duty of the coxswain

is to show them how to pull and to ensure their motions being as one.

Starting from their laying on their oars, he should make them stretch

aft towards him as far as they can, with straight arms, sitting with

their chests square to their oars, with their hands, not too far from

and not too close to each other, firmly grasping the looms of the oars,

with their arms at about right angles to the body and themselves

looking the coxswain straight in the face (in river-pulling parlance

"eyes in the boat"). It is impossible for a man to sit square to his

oar if he is looking over his shoulder. The coxswain should begin

practising his crew in the above position, without allowing them to

catch the water until they are perfect.

The oars should catch the water with a firm and vigorous grip,

absolutely simultaneously, the great effort of the man being made as

the oar catches the water and not as it leaves it. The oar should b

pulled through with a strong, steady, powerful stroke, no jerks

whatever being given. A jerk bends or breaks an oar, but it does not

send the boat ahead; and a man who pulls a steady stroke will stay

three miles to the two miles of the man who jerks. The oar should

never be feathered higher than is necessary. The oars should be

feathered as level as possible with each other in order to ensure, as

far as may be, that the blades of the oars catch the water absolutely

together.

The coxswain should see that the crew wear no belts and that the

waistbands of their trousers are loose about the waist. If a man's

trousers are tight, they become irksome when he stretches aft as far as

he can over his toes. {501} Each one of these details requires the

earnest and constant attention of the coxswain, and he should see that

each movement is carried out slowly, deliberately, quietly and

perfectly, before he begins to get his crew into hard training. Spurts

should always be avoided until a crew is fit to pull a race. When the

coxswain wishes to spurt he should warn the crew for a spurt, state

loudly the number of strokes he wishes to spurt, and then count them

distinctly as they are pulled. The crew will then all put forth their

greatest effort together. A spurt of three strokes may win a race, in

the event of one of the opposing boat's crew catching a crab, or their

stroke becoming unequal, or one or more of them being for the moment

jaded.

The usual method for training adopted by coxswains is, however, of a

different character. They order the men to pull hard from the moment

they form their crew; they pay not the slightest regard to the

important details which must be attended to in order that any crew may

have a chance of winning a strongly contested race; they appear to

think that a boat's crew cannot be trained unless the coxswain

oscillates his body with an excitement which apparently borders on

insanity; and they accompany these oscillations with weird and nervous

cries such as "Hup with her!" "Lift her!" "Hang on her!" "Back on her!"

"Squeeze her!" "Heave on her!" and similar noises. It is well to cheer

up a crew with vocal accompaniments to their strokes, but that is by no

means the most important factor in enabling them to win.

As a crew proceeds in its training and becomes slowly and quietly fit,

dumb-bells and running will be found useful auxiliaries to pulling,

particularly if the regular practice is stopped while the ship is at

sea, but on no account should a coxswain allow one of his boat's crew

to be over-trained. He should inquire after the health of the crew

every morning, and should be most careful that they do not get a chill

or a cold after practice. Some men require more work than others to

get them in hard condition; a good coxswain will attend to this point,

and will be careful that all his {502} boat's crew reach the

starting-point in the pink of condition. He will also see that the

thwarts are smooth and comfortable, the looms of the oars smooth and

capable of being easily grasped, that the stretchers are secured so

that they can neither slip nor carry away, and that every small detail

(whose failure at the critical moment might jeopardise the chances of a

race) is attended to. The coxswain must also attend to the incidentals

of training, such as chafed sterns and blistered hands, which if not

treated may incapacitate a man from pulling in a race. Chafing on the

stern is best treated by fomenting with hot water and the application

of zinc powder afterwards. Blisters on hands are best treated by

pricking them with a needle in the live flesh just outside the blister,

pressing the water out of it, and wearing a rag over the injury until

the two skins have set together again. A coxswain should also attend

to the feeding of his crew during training, as no man can ever be

produced fit at the starting-post who is too much addicted to pudding.

There are two illustrations which exemplify the necessity for a man to

lean well aft with straight arms when commencing his stroke: (1) If a

man were holding on to a ridge-rope or other rope for his life, he

would never hold on with his arms bent, but would keep them quite

straight for the simple reason that he could hold on longer and

stronger. (2) If a man, in a sitting position, wished to raise a

weight, the pulley used being rove through a block at his feet, he

would never dream of sitting upright prising with his feet and leaning

back from the upright position, but he would bend forward well on his

toes and pull with his strength _and_ his weight. Tackles and weights

were rigged in the _Undaunted_ in order that the men might learn these

truths by practice.

Another important matter for a coxswain is to see that the conditions

on all points are clearly made out in writing before the race, and are

signed by himself and the coxswain of the competing boat. The date,

the time, the boats, the composition of the crew, the stakes, which

should always {503} be low (high stakes invariably lead to bad feeling)

and which in no case should exceed 5s. per man and 10s. per coxswain;

the precise course, _i.e._ the distance, and on which side, all marks,

etc., are to be left, and also whether the oars are to be Service or

private: all these things should be clearly defined. There has been

more bad feeling bred between vessels owing to the want of such details

having been clearly defined than to any other contingency that arises

in boat racing. This is notably the case as to oars. Wherever it is

possible a straight course should be selected, but if the length of the

race does not admit of a straight course each boat should have its own

separate buoy to round.

Coxswains should use every endeavour to get permission to have their

boats hoisted for three or four days (with the exception of the time

necessary for practice) before any forthcoming race in order to get the

boat properly dry. They should get any ragged splinters planed off the

keel, have all surplus paint scraped off and get the bottom of the boat

as smooth as possible. They should also see the oars trimmed and

exactly suited both by length and balance of weight to the small or

great beam of the boat according to the thwart on which they are pulled.

Boat pulling is a healthy and a manly recreation, and if properly

practised with friendly rivalry, can there be a doubt that it generates

that activity of mind which is generally associated with activity of

body? It also produces that courage, endurance, nerve and muscle which

have so long been the distinctive features of the British race. It

provokes a spirit of manliness, a generosity of mind and a love of fair

play.

If all conditions are made out clearly and fairly, a beaten crew

invariably accepts the verdict in a gallant and a chivalrous manner.

After a race, no such remarks should be heard from the beaten crew as

an offer to double or treble the stakes and pull again or words of

similar character, showing either that the beaten crew cannot accept

their defeat in a spirit worthy of the name of British man-of-war {504}

men, or that owing to the conditions of the race not having been

clearly defined, some misunderstanding has arisen which has naturally

engendered a bitter feeling in the minds of those who have just

suffered the poignancy of defeat.

The training and practice which are necessary to put the boats' crews

of men-of-war into that state of condition in which they may reasonably

expect to win a race, must to a large extent cultivate those habits of

discipline which are so essential for the comfort and efficiency of our

great Service.

Admiral Sir George Tryon, while he was commander-in-chief in the

Mediterranean, and while I was in command of the _Undaunted_, caused a

boat to be specially built to race my boat. We had six races, all of

which the _Undaunted_ won. The _Undaunted's_ racing boat was built

flatter in the floor than the ordinary pattern of Service boats. One

of the races with Sir George Tryon's boat was rowed in a whole gale of

wind, over a course of four miles. The _Undaunted's_ boat was

half-full of water, and three of the knees of the thwarts were broken,

when she crossed the line. This kind of racing is extremely heavy

work, for the Service boats are massively built in order to carry

weight, such as guns, stores ammunition. The oars are so heavy that

there is nearly as much labour involved in lifting the oar from the

water and coming forward as in pulling it through the water.

The admiral-superintendent's boat at Malta was never beaten. She was a

beautiful boat, built by Maltese, and manned by a splendid Maltese

crew. I raced her with my crew twice, once when I was captain of the

_Undaunted_, and again when I was second in command in the

Mediterranean (with flag in _Ramillies_), and lost the race on both

occasions. In the second race, the Maltese, having the inside place

resorted to the well-known manoeuvre of steering us off all the way up

to the buoy and then turning sharply to round it.

While stationed at Alexandria during the time of my command of the

_Undaunted_, we used to have a regatta open to all comers, any boat and

any rig, every Friday. The {505} Arab boats used to enter. Their

great sail area and flat bottoms gave them a great advantage in

running, or on the wind; but they could not tack. They were obliged to

wear in a beat to windward, because their sail dipped before all. I

beat them twice with a copy of Captain (now Admiral) Fitzgerald's

racing rig, in the launch. A Service launch is of course built for

heavy work and for carrying loads, such as supplies and ammunition.

The Service rig has one mast, with mainsail and staysail, called the De

Horsey rig. Captain Fitzgerald stepped the single mast aft, and fitted

a bigger spar forward, equipped it with a big dipping lug, abolished

the staysail, and used ballast. The object of the De Horsey rig was to

give a sail equipment with as little gear as possible. Captain

Fitzgerald's object was to race; and I may take this opportunity of

saying that I consider Admiral Fitzgerald to have been the finest

boat-sailer whom I have met in the Service.

When he was commander of the _Agincourt_ in the Channel Squadron, he

won the first Admiral's cup presented in the Navy, in 1872. In that

year, Admiral Sir Geoffrey Hornby gave a cup to be sailed for by the

boats of the Channel Squadron, being the first admiral to present a

cup. The conditions, as described by Admiral Fitzgerald in his

_Memories of the Sea_, were: "Any sails, any rig, any shaped false

keel, but no sinking ballast; that is to say, the boat must float when

full of water; and there is generally a handicap for size."

While I was commander of the _Thunderer_, I fitted the steam pinnace as

a racing boat, taking out the engines and boilers and equipping her

with a big cutter rig. The boat had a yacht section, but was without a

heavy keel, so that I had to ballast her heavily. She went very fast

in a light breeze, but when a puff came she would heel over and take in

water. In case of accident, I ballasted her with a length of chain

cable, shackled to ringbolts on her bottom, the other end made fast to

a rope and a buoy. Rear-Admiral William Dowell, who was then second in

command of the Channel {506} Squadron (afterwards Admiral Sir William

Montague Dowell, G.C.B.), challenged me to a race in Portland Harbour.

Admiral Dowell sailed in his six-oared galley, which carried a private

rig of two dipping lugs. I was confident of beating him, but the

admiral knew better. He knew I should have to ease my sheets when the

breeze freshened. At first I went away from him, but when I was just

inside the breakwater, a puff came, over went the boat, and it went

down under me. Dowell, seeing that I was swimming safely and that the

boats of the Fleet were coming to pick me up, went on and won the race.

When I went to dine with him that night, he greeted me with:

"Last time I saw you, you were swimming about in the harbour."

In the meantime, owing to the device of ballasting my boat with chain

cable and buoying the end of it, we were able to pick her up. The

_Thunderer_ came over the place where she was sunk, hauled the cable up

to the hawse pipe, and hove the boat to the surface.

My old friend, Admiral Sir William Montague Dowell G.C.B., was a most

distinguished officer. He served in the China war, 1840-1, served as

gunnery lieutenant of the _Albion_ in the Black Sea, and was promoted

for services with the Naval Brigade at Sevastopol; served again in

China, in 1857, being present at the capture of Canton; commanded the

_Barrosa_ in the straits of Simonoseki, 1864, being specially

mentioned; received the C.B. for services in Japan. He was A.D.C. to

the Queen; commanded the West Coast of Africa and Cape of Good Hope

Station, 1867-71; after having been second in command of the Channel

Squadron, senior officer on the Coast of Ireland, and vice-admiral in

command of the Channel Squadron, he was temporarily attached to the

Mediterranean Fleet and served in the Egyptian war of 1882, receiving

the K.C.B., and the thanks of the House of Commons. He was afterwards

commander-in-chief in China, and subsequently commander-in-chief of

Devonport. {507} He was one of the Three Admirals who framed the

Report upon the Naval Manoeuvres of 1888, in which were formulated the

principles of British naval supremacy.

I won many races in a _Una_ boat, the _Weasel_, built at Cowes, during

the time of my command of the royal yacht _Osborne_. The Prince of

Wales built a similar boat. Prince Louis of Battenberg, steering the

Prince's boat, beat me in a most exciting race, in which the betting

was long odds on my boat. The fact was, that trying to be very clever,

I put too much ballast in the boat, and so lost the race.

{508}