Our last post, about Syncopated Rowing, mentioned the need for more space between pairs of rowers to avoid clashes within the boat. The 1929 London Rowing Club crew video in that post shows gaps between the pairs, as also shown in the photo of a specially designed four in that same post. The photo below shows the gap in the London boat, but with the coxswain positioned there, steering from the middle of the boat.
Traditionally, coxswains steered from the stern of the boat but bow coxed pairs were developed in the 1950s and the feature soon spread to fours, with the lower centre of gravity and clearer vision seen as bonuses. Whilst bow coxing was tried in eights as well, it has not been as popular.
In the late 1970s, a Russian women’s crew reportedly successfully experimented with Syncopated Rowing but later moved away from it as they felt it did not make them any quicker. Like London Rowing Club in 1929, they had a boat designed with a gap between the middle two seats for their syncopated rowing, but also for the coxswain, as shown below:
Footage of this crew at the 1980 Olympics in the Women’s 4+ can be seen in this video at 3:27 and 7:49.
Having the coxswain in the centre of the boat may be ideal for weight distribution but it certainly has not taken off and perhaps just looks a bit odd!