On Sunday, October 4th, NBRC hosted the 4th Annual Wine Country Rowing Classic. For those who are not familiar with regattas, NBRC member Dave Huntley wrote the following article. Enjoy!

HOW TO WATCH A REGATTA
There are two forms of regatta. In one, called a "sprint", the crews race in lanes in either a 1000 or 2000 meter course. In the other, called a "head race", like the Wine Country Rowing Classic, the crews or individual rowers start one after another and are timed over a 5000m course. Traditionally, this was the forum to determine which crew is the "head" of the river, or the ruling crew.
traditionally, this would determine which crew is the "head" of the river, or the ruling crew.

THERE SEEM TO BE A LOT OF DIFFERENT KINDS OF BOATS OUT THERE...
Watching a regatta, you will notice the various categories of crew. (The Chinese focused on rowing in the Olympics so that they could easily maximize their total number of medals, taking advantage of the many types of boats and the two types of rowing, thus the numerous events.)

WHO'S THE PERSON IN THE BOAT FACING THE OTHER WAY AND SHOUTING?
Boats are categorized by the number of rowers (1,2,4 or 8) and the style of rowing ("sweep", in which each rower has one oar, or "sculling", in which each rower holds two oars.) Some boats have coxswains steering the boat (and shouting encouragement and orders to the crew), and thus are called "coxed" boats. Those without a coxswain are called "coxless". The boats are either men's boats, women's boats or mixed boats, and the classes are open or masters (over 40 years old).

WHAT'S A "WM4+"???
In the printed schedule for the day, the boats are listed to include all of this information: M=masters, sculling boats are indicated by an "x" (two oars). The presence of a coxswain is denoted by a "+", for the extra person in the boat. The absence is indicated by a "-". In most races, sculling boats are not coxed; the bow-most rower looks behind him or herself to aid in steering, but the minus sign remains, for consistency.

Using this method, rowers and spectators know when the "Men's M2x-", or a men's master's double scull without a coxswain, is scheduled to race.

ARE BIGGER BOATS FASTER THAN SMALL BOATS?
Some boats are naturally faster than others; The "eights" ("8+") are the fastest boat on the water, followed closely by the quad (4x). Each of these has eight oars, but the 8+ is much longer than a 4x, and the oars are longer too. The single (1x) is the toughest to row in a race, because not only is there no coxswain to steer, encourage or shout orders, there are also no other rowers in the boat to "swing" with or raise the stroke rating with. It is a completely individual challenge demanding much mental, as well as physical strength and control.

WHAT DOES A GOOD CREW LOOK LIKE?
What you should look for in any crew is the combination of precision and power in the stroke, which gets the boat moving, coupled with grace in the "recovery", which is when the oar is out of the water and the rowers' seats are sliding on tracks toward the stern of the boat, bringing them up to take the next stroke. A good crew allows its boat to run smoothly beneath the oarsmen or oarswomen. The stroke rate (strokes per minute) CAN increase the speed of a boat, but sometimes it does not. It is a first-rate crew that can row at 36 strokes per minute or more, and still be really effective at moving the boat.

WHAT IS THERE TO DO BESIDES WATCH THE RACES?
At the staging area, the dock-side parking lot, rowers and spectators can enjoy delicious paella from the outdoor booth of Petaluma Paella, coffee and other beverages and snacks at the Marina Bean, beautiful rowing-related jewelry and art from local artists, and athletic wear from JL Racing.

DO CREWS GET ANY PRIZES FOR WINNING?
Most regattas have some sort of reward for at least the first-place finishers. At the Wine Country Rowing Classic, we will award medals to the first and second-place finishers of every event, and our very own Mayor Pam Torliatt will present the team with the most points a Team Trophy, which will remain with that team until next year's Wine Country Rowing Classic.