Tips for Rowing in the Wind

The best tips for rowing in the wind are to check gusts as well as average speed, keep blades low into a headwind, hold your normal rate with a tailwind and turn early in a sheltered spot. If you see white crests or gusts above your club’s limit, stay ashore, because your club’s rules beat anything here.

How the wind scale translates to rowing

Check the forecast before you go, and look at the water when you arrive. Wind speed and direction matter, but so do gusts and whether the wind will build while you are out. Wind against current produces rougher water than wind with it.

The wind speeds and sea states below come from the Met Office Beaufort scale. The last column is only a rough rule of thumb for sheltered water, and your club’s limit comes first.

Force	Name	Knots	About mph	Sea state	Rule of thumb
2	Light breeze	4 to 6	5 to 7	Smooth, wavelets	Fine for most rowers
3	Gentle breeze	7 to 10	8 to 12	Slight	Novices need supervision
4	Moderate breeze	11 to 16	13 to 18	Slight to moderate	Experienced crews, careful in small boats
5	Fresh breeze	17 to 21	20 to 24	Moderate	Larger boats and experienced crews only, if at all
6	Strong breeze	22 to 27	25 to 31	Rough	Stay ashore unless your club says otherwise

Clubs set their own lines. Henley Rowing Club’s water safety plan says rowing must not take place if white crests are visible on waves. Twickenham Rowing Club’s safety briefing recommends only 4s or 8s when gusts over 50km/h are forecast, which is about 27 knots, the top of Force 6. Narrow boats like singles, pairs and doubles are more sensitive than larger crew boats, and novices are more at risk than experienced scullers.

Before you boat

• Know your club’s rules and the capsize drill.
• Wear suitable clothing, and carry a dry change and whatever your club requires.
• Tell someone where you are going and when you expect to be back.
• Stay near the bank if you are unsure, and know where you can land.
• If you capsize, stay with the boat. See what you need to know before getting in a rowing boat.

Wind makes a capsize more likely, and cold water makes it worse. Henley’s plan gives four rough stages of cold-water immersion:

Time in water	Main risk
0 to 3 minutes	Cold water shock
3 to 15 minutes	Swim failure
About 30 minutes	Hypothermia
Hours after rescue	Collapse

If thunder has been heard, stay off the water. Twickenham allows no rowing for 30 minutes after the last crack of thunder.

Headwind

Rowing into the wind slows you and tends to catch your blades on the recovery.

• Lower the recovery. Keep the blades low over the water, and feather with a small movement.
• Shorten up if you lose rhythm. You may need to raise the rate by 1 or 2 strokes per minute to keep the boat running.
• Stay relaxed. Tight hands cost you control.
• Look ahead. Waves arriving at the bow tell you about the next few strokes.
• Plan the turn. A turn is the most exposed moment in a single scull. Do it early, in a sheltered section.

Tailwind

A tailwind pushes you along, and the temptation is to relax or to over-row. The boat also rides on following waves, and the bow can be pushed around.

• Don’t rush. Keep your normal rhythm and rate.
• Keep a clean catch. Blades that dig too deep can catch the water as the boat accelerates.
• Stay balanced. Keep your hands level on the recovery.
• Plan the way back. The return is into the wind. As a rule of thumb, if 20 minutes with the wind took you out, allow 30 minutes for the way home. Our guide to lengthening your on-water sessions shows how to plan the route.

Crosswind

Crosswinds try to push the boat sideways and tip it.

• Point slightly into the wind so that the wind pushes you back on line. Adjust your course early rather than late.
• Keep the upwind blade especially level. Gusts catching the blade lift the boat, so hold the handles low and the blades close to the water.
• Make small, early corrections. In a crew boat, the cox or stroke calls adjustments, and the crew changes pressure between sides.
• Keep your weight central and your head up to feel the boat.

Technique in rough conditions

1. Slow the recovery. A calm recovery improves balance.
2. Shorten the slide at the front end if the boat is rocking.
3. Keep a firm grip without clamping it, so the blade doesn’t get yanked.
4. Use less pressure at the catch until you feel the boat settle.
5. Time your strokes between the waves where you can.
6. Practise in moderate conditions with a coach nearby.

Wind on the erg

An air erg, like the Concept2, uses a flywheel with fan blades, not outdoor wind. The drag factor reflects how much air moves through the cage, and the harder you pull the more resistance you feel. See drag factor explained and how do rowing machines work. If it is too windy to boat, a 30-minute erg at 20 strokes per minute still gives you 600 strokes.

Check your kit

Check rigging and gates before going out. Loose gates, a frayed footplate or a damaged rudder cable are worse in rough water. Carry spare clothes, because wind cools you quickly after you stop. See inspecting your rowing boat before a race.

For more on technique, visit the technique hub.