The BaselHead sprint race unfolds along the Rhine River in Basel, Switzerland. Spanning 350 meters, the course challenges rowers as they navigate upstream. During the initial half, skilled coxswains can expertly guide their boats close to the shoreline, taking advantage of shallow waters with minimal current. As crews approach the second half, they must transition about 5-6 meters further from the bank, encountering deeper waters and a stronger current.
How does this affect rowing performance?
The satellite image illustrates our boat's 500m pace for each stroke. Dots mark the beginning of each stroke, with their color indicating the 500m time. Darker blue colors represent lower times (faster boat speed), while lighter yellow shades signify higher times (slower boat speed).
Given that this is a short sprint and the crew consists of Olympic medalists, we can assume they maintained optimal pace and consistent rowing power throughout. Yet, the boat's speed notably decreased. This slowdown coincides precisely with the point where the boat must navigate further from the bank, encountering stronger currents. The logical conclusion is that the boat's speed diminished due to the increased resistance from stronger currents.
The two graphs below provide precise data: For the first 100m, the boat's 500m pace was under 1:25. It then increased, stabilizing at around 1:36 after the 200m mark and maintaining this pace until the finish. The stroke rate saw only a slight decrease, from approximately 45 to 44 strokes per minute.
The boat's movement pattern remains remarkably consistent across different current conditions. The current simply shifts the boat's speed up or down, depending on whether it's traveling downriver or upriver, without altering the fundamental acceleration and speed patterns. This consistency is evident in the figure below, which compares averaged curves for the first fifteen strokes (blue) and the last fifteen strokes (orange). The standard deviation, represented by the shaded area, is barely perceptible, underscoring the consistency.
In these plots, we've chosen to begin each curve at the start of the check time, allowing the entire check duration (marked by high negative acceleration at the outset) to be viewed as a cohesive unit. The catch occurs at the acceleration minimum, approximately 0.25 seconds into the cycle. The finish is identifiable as a slight dip in acceleration around 0.9 seconds, after which the recovery phase commences. (A detailed description of the stroke phases can be found here).
The acceleration curves for both sets of strokes are nearly identical, with only a slight divergence towards the end due to a minor difference in stroke rate (45 vs. 44 strokes per minute). While the speed curves maintain the same shape, they are vertically offset. The first 15 strokes exhibit higher speeds as the boat was closer to the shore, experiencing less current resistance.
Boat movement patterns remain consistent whether rowing on flat water, against, or with the current. However, strategic positioning can significantly impact race performance:
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