When Crew Team Turns Swim Team

The first time I flipped a boat was off of the dock. It was during a time when our coach was demanding speed during our docking procedure. The exact goal of her speed drills may never be known but we had no choice but to get out fast. These speed drills wouldn’t have been an issue except that we always went over time because we would couldn't get my oarlock to release my oar. So in response to that issue we came up with a great solution: loosen the oarlocks on the water. (editor’s note: this is a terrible decision.)

This worked out until one cold March day. We came into the dock and started getting ready to get out of the boat. The coxswain this day decided he was going to get out of the boat before telling anyone. Normally, he would explicitly state every step of the docking procedure as coxswains are supposed to do. He got out and pushed the balance of the boat away from the dock and the hull started to roll down to the water. Out of reflex, I went to catch the boat with my oar… which immediately popped out of the open oarlock. There was nothing more to be done. The boat flipped over into 50 degree water.

All four of the rowers went into hysterical laughing fits from the cold and the realization that we flipped. The coxswain was just standing on the dock in shock. I swam around, collecting my oars and shoes that were floating nearby. We pulled ourselves back on the docks to our coach’s frown. “Seriously?” was all she had to say for the moment.

As we put the boat away, our coach didn’t miss a beat. “Go shower off and come back,” She instructed, “You owe me 100 jumpees for flipping the boat.” We pulled our shivering bodies to the locker room to regain our pride and the feeling in our fingers. If I learned anything that day, its that that if something's job is lock your oar in place, you probably shouldn't unlock it when you need it to work.