How to safely launch your rowing board from a beach, without help. Works with moderate beach break. Keep your feet dry all the way.
Safety First — Stay Perpendicular to the Waves
Every experienced windsurfer and surfer knows to always keep the board perpendicular to the incoming waves. If the board is parallel to the wave, even just moderate size beach-break can push the board fast. You get knock down and get completely wet. Or worse, breaking some bones (as it had happened to a windsurfer friend of mine).
Same for launching rowing boat or rowing board in even a mild beach break. This article introduces how to launch a rowing-board safety, in moderate beach-breaks.
I hope this will expand your scope of solo-rowing: not just from absolutely still water and requiring the help of a friend.
A Better, and Dry Way
If you have a hard-shell boat, you can still launch safely in a beach break. I will show you later. First, I will explain how to launch and return to a beach completely dry, with a rowing-board. Great in cold waters when you don’t want to get wet.
- Put the board half-way into the sea. Fin first.
Row On Air boards have a detachable fin at the back (stern) of the board. Put the stern side of the board half way into the sea. This way the fin will not get caught by the sand. The upper half of the board is holding the board in place. Make sure you don’t put the board in so much that the wave will wash the board away when it comes it.
2. Walk onto the board from the bow of the board
While holding the 2 oars, I walk from the tip of the board to the center of the board, entirely dry.
3. Balance with the blades
Put the 2 blades all the way into the sand on the two side to stablise the board and yourself if needed, especially when the wave is breaking onto the beach.
4. Sit down, and wait for the next break
Sit down while the wave has receded. Then, move the seat to the front as shown in the picture above. Wait for the next break to come in.
At the maximum of the incoming break, half of the board is in the water. At this point, lean forward to bring your body weight to sink the front part of the board a bit. The part of the board on the sand behind you will have less pressure, making it easier for the water to carry the board out. Wiggle a little bit will help too.
5. Forward-row away once you feel you are afloat
Beach Landing — Safe and Dry
Landing on a beach should also follow the safety principle — never let the boat go parallel to the incoming wave.
On return, head straight to the beach, bow first. When the board is perpendicular, it is fairly stable even with moderate beach break. When the tip of the board touches the sand, stand up while holding the oar handles (important — see below), and slowly walk backwards on board. Walk off sideways into ankle-deep, or all the way to the sand if you want your shoes to be completely dry.
More than once I have students staying dry during the entire row, only to get completely wet when walking back to the sand in shallow water. The problem is that they let go of the board. A small beach break will cause the board to turn sideways, and the next incoming wave will push the board to hit the rower to stumble into the knee-deep water.
Get off the board quickly, while holding onto the oar handle(s) in one hand. As soon as you can stand in ankle-deep water, grab the handle at the bow with one hand. The next wave coming in is likely to push the board sideways, but now you can easily pivot the board to be perpendicular to the incoming wave, just by walking sideways.
Great for Mothers too!
During a race in Japan, we asked a few spectator mums to experience rowing for the first time. With this method, mothers in normal clothes and shoes got to row with their athlete sons and daughter, completely dry!
Don’t you worry about scratching the bottom of the board?
Modern inflatable boards are made of very strong material. I definitely won’t want to use this method to land on a rocky beach, but sand is fine.
Much better than getting wet and cold in freezing water. And this allows me to really expand the seasonality and geography of my solo-rowing adventures.
With my hard-shell boat, I needed to be chest-deep to launch from the same beach. Since the break is the strongest at the water edge, without any assist, I needed to go deeper beyond the breakpoint.
No problem in the summer, but in the winter? I will go with my rowing board and stay dry.
Enjoy Safe and Fun Rowing
Don’t get me wrong. I totally enjoy going out with a group. But often, people are busy, so I row alone a lot. I can enjoy the quietness and tranquility of the calm sea. I always carry a water-proof mobile phone, stay close to shore, carry a PFD, and check wind and wave conditions in advance.
Coastal rowing can be safe and fun, even on your own!
Fun Rowing for All
Row On Air inflatable rowing system is portable and very versatile. You can mix and match rigger sets, change orientation, take on passengers, etc.
Check out our website for more information: www.RowOnAir.asia
*This beach-start method described above is based on Row On Air™️ portable rowing systems, which use sliding seats. This method is not tested on sliding rigger systems of other brands.
