{"id":30027,"date":"2023-09-06T17:00:30","date_gmt":"2023-09-07T00:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/community.nrs.com\/?p=30027"},"modified":"2023-09-15T11:26:19","modified_gmt":"2023-09-15T18:26:19","slug":"managing-the-oars-a-case-study-on-the-rogue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/community.nrs.com\/duct-tape\/2023\/09\/06\/managing-the-oars-a-case-study-on-the-rogue\/","title":{"rendered":"Managing the Oars: A Case Study on the Rogue"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dropping into Black Bar Rapid on the Rogue River the conservative line is unanimously known as a hard right, hugging a two-story cliff that spans the length of the rapid. First, thread the needle between a center channel flake and a jagged rock wall that marks the entrance on the right bank.<\/p>\n

If you hit the line just right, depending on the weight of the boat, the narrow channelized current combines with the momentum gathered in the drop to set the boat up perfectly square to hit a second right-side jagged rock wall. Or so it seems. In fact, if you stow or ship your right oar and say your prayers, 99.99% of the time the boat will clear the second jagged right wall by inches (feet if the boat is on the lighter side).<\/p>\n

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\u00a9️Sarah McMillen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There isn\u2019t a lot of literature available on advanced oar management practices<\/a>. When learning the art of shipping (pulling your oars inside or next to the the boat), for example, there aren\u2019t a ton of resources that explain the benefits and best techniques. It can feel very unnatural when you first start shipping your oars, but keep it up. When rowing in tight shoots, canyons or boulder gardens many would agree that no one singular rowing skill is more powerful or important. To add to the oar management best practices literature pool, I break down what I have learned about the nuance of shipping and other oar management practices while guiding on the Rogue River.<\/p>\n