Jan 9:

Another good weather day was promised. We packed our car and said goodbye to Sue and Gordon after a good breakfast. We were on the water by 9:00 at the causeway. Looking south there was no visible sign of the next bridge on the horizon. We would need to row over that horizon to find it. A strong incoming tidal current helped get us started and we stayed in the ICW channel for several miles to take advantage of the current. Then a West wind started up and we move over to the Western shore of the lagoon to find flat water. I did not rest for the first three hours. In spite of the long day yesterday, I felt good and eager to go.

A reporter for the St. Lucie Daily paper had called us and they were to have a photographer there to meet us when we arrived at the causeway beach. This appointment made us make a commitment. It turned out we had plenty of time and took a few very pleasant rest stops on beaches along the way. We arrived right on time for the reporter at 4:00. Another long day in the sun and another 19 ½ miles had been rowed bringing our total mileage so far to 115. We are half way to Miami from where we started!

Gordon Chase had asked me an interesting question that I have thought about during the last two days of rhythmically swinging back and forth in this little boat. His question was something like: "Do you ever dread another day of drudgery?" My answer had been a surprised "No, not at all. I look forward to each day." Now I was wondering why he asked this. The answer, and I believe other scullers will agree, is that this exercise is certainly not drudgery if the boat, the geometry of the rigging, the oars, the weather, one’s health and comfort are all just right. There is a huge difference between fixed-seat rowing in the traditional sense and sculling where ones seat moving back and forth allows the legs to contribute much of the power. While sculling we move most every part of our body and exert most every muscle. Skill builds with mileage. There are style differences between scullers and there are differences of opinion regarding optimum technique. My opinion has always been that mileage and repetition tend to coach the sculler. Scullers naturally strive to increase efficiency by making subtle changes until spacing improves and check is eliminated. Check is the backward jerk of the boat when one's feet push before the blades are connected to the water, the arm squeeze is applied and the back is leaning into the stroke. After years of practice in school and college I suppose I had reached a level of skill where it became pleasure or I would not have continued to scull whenever given the privilege. I understand Gordon’s question, however, since there are certainly memories of practices in an eight on Turkey pond or the Housatonic River when I remember the ordeal of rowing in less than optimum conditions. There seems to be a threshold breakthrough in skill development that suddenly gives an oarsman the pleasure I refer to. Never having felt the rhythm and glide of a boat so closely related to one’s movements it would be hard to understand the response I gave to his question. Too many have only had the experience of rowing a dinghy or tender with hopelessly designed oars, locks and geometry. This day I enjoyed the results of the thousands of miles of practice and repetition that have contributed to a comfortable style and sustainable pace in my sculling.