The sensitivity of (some) rowing shells [Filler #20]

Last week as I was loading my rowing equipment at the lake after a row, I noticed that the shell was unbalanced in the water: it was listing to port. Since this is a racing shell in which I have invested a fair amount of time and money, I was curious about the reason. Then I spotted the water bottle. I removed the water bottle and — voila! — the shell was balanced! A not-quite-full 32-ounce bottle of water on the port side was all it took, as shown by this pair of images.
» By the way, this 26-foot shell — sans water bottle — weighs about 30 pounds.

Happy 55th to my younger brother, Larry!

1 year ago (“Whitebanded Crab Spider”): http://365project.org/rhoing/365/2015-09-06
2 years ago (“Only frame of the day…”): http://365project.org/rhoing/365/2014-09-06
3 years ago (“Surprise!”): http://365project.org/rhoing/365/2013-09-06
4 years ago (“Spotted Cucumber Beetle on a petunia”): http://365project.org/rhoing/365/2012-09-06
5 years ago (“‘Down a pint’…”): http://365project.org/rhoing/365/2011-09-06

[ DSCN1691S8x12Pstm :: P&S composite ]

[Maggiemae]

Just shows how skilled the rower is in balancing on this shell!

[Joanna kate]

They are so finally balanced by the sound of it. What is that shape near the water bottle, ( outline blue ). Looks as if it has a readout. Speed????

[Thom Mitchell]

@maggiemae You're not entirely wrong, Maggie. For this reason, it was a shell I had to "work up to," after gaining competency in more stable — i.e., slower — shells. I haven't flipped yet in this one, but I've come close many, many times!

[Thom Mitchell]

@joannakate Yup. It's a GPS-based device that does two things: measures speed (via time and distance) and it counts strokes, which is a very important datum for scullers. And of course the device is coupled with a software download so that you can extract the workout data from the device. Once one does that, then one can upload the data to a web site where the GPS-based route map can be displayed.