Q is for Quads
A sweep-style 'four' in the early 1960s, with Gorbals high rises under construction behind. Photo by John Eadie
'Q' is another rather tricky letter, so let's use 'quads' (one of the most common boat configurations) as a jumping-off point to look at crews, boats and some tricky terminology. 'Sculling' and 'sweeping' are the two main types of river-rowing. Put simply, sculling is rowing with two oars, while sweeping uses one oar per rower. All racing boats can be called shells; however, sculls refer specifically to boats with scullers in them, i.e. all sculls are shells but not vice versa.
A key (non-rowing) member of a boat crew is the coxswain (often shortened to ‘cox’) - responsible for steering the boat, coordinating the rowers' strokes, and providing tactical guidance during a race or practice session. Sitting in the stern of the boat facing forward, they use a rudder to direct the boat's course. Coxes are traditionally smaller and lighter than other crew members to reduce overall weight in the boat. Historically, it was a role often assigned to children. In 1933, the Evening Telegraph reported a lucky escape for the 12-year-old cox of a Clyde ARC boat which had sunk near Rutherglen Bridge. The boy had been 'strapped into the boat'(!) but was freed by two of his crewmates and was, apparently, none the worse for his ‘mishap’.
Sculling allows each rower to have control over both sides of the boat, which can lead to greater stability and efficiency in the rowing stroke. However, sweeping allows for the use of longer oars (almost 1m longer than sweep oars), which can generate more power. Sculling and sweeping each present their own advantages and technical challenges. Each discipline is further subdivided into classes depending on the number of rowers, again with their own unique pros and cons.
In sculling boats, the number of rowers is shown by describing the boat as a 'single' (abbreviated as '1x'), double ('x2'), quad (x4), or (very rarely) an octuple (x8). The quads and eights can have a cox, who steers, or can be 'coxless', when the rowers steer themselves.
Clydesdale ARC Juniors scrulling in a double. Photo by David Collie
Sweeping also its own boat classes – and, unsurprisingly, no singles, as you need two oars to manipulate the boats. These 'sweeping' layouts always specify whether or not they are using a cox to steer, so it is possible to tell if you're describing sweeps or sculls: Coxless, or 'straight' pair – two rowers, one oar on each side, written as '2-', meaning 'no coxswain'. A coxed pair, or '2+' shows that the vessel carries a cox who is steering. Coxed four (4+) or 'coxless four' (4-) – sweep boats, four crew and four oars, plus or minus a cox; The cox can sit in the front (bow), or back (stern) of the boat. If it's 'coxless', the steering is done by a foot-guided wire attached to the rudder. In a coxed eight (8+), the boats are so long, (almost 20m!) that they always carry a cox for safety reasons.
During the 1830s and 40s, decades before these modern terms were officially defined, the early Glasgow Regatta results used much longer descriptions. For instance, in 1830, 'a sculling or rowing match by one man in any description of boat' – obviously, the categories were rather looser! In 1847, the following races were held: 'for four-oared gigs, any length'; 'a match with two-oared boats, not exceeding 23 feet' ('Gigs' were light working boats). Now, with quads for sculling, and fours for sweeping, competitors have firmer guidelines to work within.
