How do you execute 'Bank the oars, Rotate' commands?

Prepare for the Water Survival 929 Test. Use flashcards, multiple choice questions, hints, and explanations. Get water safe!

Banking the oars is a steering technique where you rotate each oar so the blade moves into a different position across the boat, creating a turning moment rather than simply propelling straight ahead. To perform this, slide the oar across the boat and lay the handle on the opposite gunwale. That banked position puts the oar in a way that, when the oars are in the water, produces asymmetric drag on one side, causing the boat to yaw and rotate. From the coxswain’s viewpoint, this action makes the boat rotate in a clockwise direction by one position, effectively steering to the indicated side.

The other actions don’t produce a turn: lifting the oars vertically and trimming the blades fore and aft changes blade orientation but not the banked steering effect; holding water stops motion rather than turning; pushing forward on all oars moves straight ahead rather than changing direction.