Page:Boating - Woodgate - 1888.pdf/145

 eight-oar will do more harm than good in a light four, and will be simply helpless in a racing pair.

Four-oar races, with the exeeption of some junior contests, are now rowed in coxswainless craft. he first of these seen in Europe was that of the St. John’s Canadian crew (profes- sional, but admitted for the nonce as amateurs) at the Paris International Regatta 1867. All the other crews carried steerers. The Canadians had the windward station in a stiff wind, and won easily. Next year the B.N.C. Oxon Club produced a four thus constructed at Henley. The rules did not forbid this ; but the novelty scared other competitors and threatened to spoil the racing in that class, ‘The stewards accordingly passed a resolution forbidding any of the entries to dispense with a coxswain, and under cover of this disqualified the B.N.C. four when it came in ahead.

Next year the resolution referred to remained in foree (as regards the Challenge Cups), but a presentation prize for fours without coxswains was given, and was won by the Oxford Bodleian Club. In 1871 the chief professional matches were rowed without coxswains ; but no more prizes were given for this class of rowing at Henley until 1873, when the Stewards’ Cup was classed for ‘no coxswains,’ At Oxford college fours were similarly altered, but the steering was so bad that it was seriously proposed to revert to the old system. A similar proposal was made with regard to Henley. Fortunately, wiser counsels prevailed, and oarsmen realised that it was better to attempt to raise their own talents to the standard required for the improved build than to detract from the build to suit the failings of medivcrity. In 1875 the Visitors and Wyfold Cups were emancipated from coxswains, and since then the standard of amateur four-oar rowing has gradually risen to the require- ments of the improved class of build.

Steerage is of course the main difficulty in these pairs. ‘Three different sorts of apparatus have been used in them. Two of these are much of the same sort. One, generally in use to this day, consists of two bars projecting from the stretcher, and