Octuple scull
Anoctuple sculling shell,often simply called anoctand abbreviated as an8x[1]or8x+,[2]is aracing shellused in thesport of rowing.
Unlike theeight(8+), a racing shell with a crew of eight rowers and acoxswain(cox)[2]that can be seen at theOlympic Gamesandthe Boat Race,[2]in which each of the eight rowers have oneoar(or blade) which they pull with both arms,[note 1]in the octuple each of the eight rowers has two oars, one in each hand and use a rowing technique calledsculling.Similar to the 8+, the oct must always have a coxswain[3]to steer and direct the crew.[further explanation needed][2]
Although the octuple had earlier been used for recreational rowing in Britain, it was used competitively for the first time at the annual regatta of theNational Association of Amateur Oarsmen,the predecessor ofUSRowing,at Baltimore in 1905.[4]According toBritish Rowing,the octuple is [now] only used by the youngest juniors.[2]
An octuple is typically 65.2 feet (19.9 meters) long[5]and has a minimum weight of 213.85 pounds (97.00 kilograms), excluding oars.[1]
Racing boats (often called "shells" ) are long, narrow, and broadly semi-circular in cross-section in order to reduce drag to a minimum. They usually have a fin towards the rear, to help prevent roll and yaw. Originally made fromwood,shells are now almost always made from acomposite material(usuallycarbon-fibre reinforced plastic) for strength and weight advantages.
The riggers in sculling apply the forces symmetrically to each side of the boat, whereas in the "eight",where each of the eight rowers pull one sweep oar, the forces are staggered alternately along opposite sides of the boat.
Notes
[edit]- ^Rowers ineightsuse a rowing technique called 'sweep rowing'.
References
[edit]- ^ab2023 Rules of Rowing,p. 28.USRowing.Retrieved 21 May 2023.
- ^abcde"Classic Rowing" (see also "Types of 'sculling' boats" ).British Rowing.Retrieved 31 May 2023.
- ^"What Is Coxless Pair in Rowing?"Rowing Crazy.Retrieved 21 May 2023.
- ^"Rowing Evolution in Octuple Sculling"(PDF).New York Times.5 November 1905. p. 12.Retrieved23 June2010.
- ^"Rowing Equipment".[usurped]fuzilogik.
External links
[edit]- Thames Ditton Regatta: 11; Final: Junior Octuple Sculls Plate – Hampton Court(youtube video). Thames Ditton, Surrey, England: rowtv.co.uk. 18 May 2008.