Lighten the boat without breaking the rules

The hull is what it is, but everything inside it is your choice. Over a long coastal race, weight tells: a gig carrying fifteen unnecessary kilograms will feel it in every headwind and every swell. Start by sponging the bilges out properly at the slipway rather than tipping the boat and hoping. A gig that has been sitting on a mooring all week will have taken on water through the timber, so lift her out and let her dry whenever you can. Check your class rules for the minimum racing weight before you start removing fittings — and remember that a boat which has just come out of the water is heavier than one that has been ashore overnight.

Then work through the boat item by item:

• Empty every bag and lay the contents out on the quay. Ask whether each item is needed during the race or merely nice to have.
• Carry only the water you will realistically drink, in bottles that stow neatly rather than rolling around the floorboards.
• Take out spare clothing, the extra thermos, and the heavy waterproof nobody will wear once the first mile is behind them.
• Check the blades for splits and water absorption; a soaked oar is a heavy oar, and it will punish you by the third mile.
• Distribute crew weight sensibly. Heavier rowers in the middle, lighter pairs at bow and stroke, gives you trim that holds up in a chop.

Spares and kit you genuinely need

A long race takes you away from the slipway, so a small, disciplined spares kit is not optional. The trick is to make it light enough that you do not notice it and complete enough that a broken pin does not end your day.

• A spare thole pin or rowlock, plus the tool needed to fit it.
• A bailer and at least two large sponges, stowed where the coxswain can reach them without asking.
• A tow line of adequate length, bagged and ready.
• A basic first aid kit, blister plasters, and tape for hands.
• A dry bag with a phone or VHF, and a knife that will cut rope in one stroke.
• Sun cream and hats if the forecast justifies them — heat exhaustion ends more races than broken gear does.

Weigh the kit as a whole. If it comes to more than a couple of kilograms, you have packed for a cruise, not a race.

Brief the crew on land

The briefing is where long races are quietly won. Do it on shore, unhurried, with everyone listening — not shouted across the water while you are trying to hold station on the start line. Cover the practicalities in order: who sits where, who calls the rate, what the race plan looks like at each stage, and what happens if it goes wrong.

Agree the calls before you launch. Everyone should know what "easy ten" means, what a push sounds like, and who has permission to call it. Name the landmarks you will use as targets — a headland, a cardinal mark, a church tower — and be specific about the tide. If you are rowing with the stream for the first half and against it later, say so, and say what that means for the pace you set early. Decide now who bails, who hands out water, and what you do if a blade is lost. Confusion costs far more time than fatigue ever does.

Fuel the crew properly

Nutrition for a distance race starts the day before, not in the boat. Eat a familiar, carbohydrate-rich meal the evening before and keep breakfast plain — nothing new, nothing experimental. Aim to finish your main meal two to three hours before the start, and top up with something small and easy an hour out.

On the water, little and often beats one heroic stop. The coxswain can pass sweets, jelly babies, or a gel to each rower without breaking rhythm, and it is worth practising this beforehand so nobody fumbles. For anything over ninety minutes, add electrolytes to at least one bottle. Drink in small sips between efforts rather than gulping during a push. Finally, take a bottle of plain water for rinsing hands and faces; salt and sweat make blades slippery.

Plan for weather, tide and the course

Read the forecast the night before and again in the morning, and be honest about what it means for your crew. A fresh headwind over an exposed headland changes the whole plan. Study the chart or the notes: where the tide turns, where the chop will build against the stream, where a lee shore gives you a breather. Walk or drive the course if you can.

Know your start. Long races often begin in a crowd, and the first few minutes set the tone. Decide in advance whether you will go hard off the line or settle into your rhythm and pick crews off later. In a gig, patience usually beats a frantic start.

Final checks on the morning

Give yourself more time than you think you need. Arrive early, weigh in if required, launch with room to spare, and row a proper warm-up — ten minutes of steady work and a few short bursts at race pace. Check the boat one last time: pins secure, blades sound, bailer and sponges aboard, water stowed, kit lashed. Then get the crew together for two minutes, repeat the plan in three sentences, and go. Careful preparation will not make the race easy, but it will remove the surprises, and that is usually the difference between finishing strong and finishing simply.