Calls

A list of all the calls from different countries. If you can think of any that aren’t on here, submit!

Launching:

USA:

Virginia:

  • “Line up” —every rower stands at his/her place on the boat.
  • “Hands on” —rowers hold both sides of the boat by their seat.
  • “Walk it out” — lift the boat (just a inch above) off of the rack.
  • “Low heads” — rowers squat under the boat at their seats.
  • “High heads” — rowers lift the boat above their heads.
  • “Split to shoulders” —rowers lower the boat to their shoulders, standing on alternating opposite sides (generally on the opposite side of your rigger).
  • “Walk it out” — rowers slowly walk the boat out of the boathouse and down to the dock.
  • “High heads” — see above.
  • “Move to port/starboard” — all rowers move to the opposite side of the launch site.
  • “Roll to low waists” — rowers turn and lower the boat so that it is facing upright by their waists.
  • “Toes to the edge” — rowers inch forward until their toes are at the edge of the dock.
  • “Out and in” — rowers hold the boat as far over the side of the dock as possible and lower it into the water (coxswain watches the skeg to ensure it doesn’t catch on the dock and break off).
  • “Ports get oars, starboards oarlocks” (or vice versa) — rowers on port side gets oars and rowers on starboard side unscrews/opens the oarlocks. Ports then distribute oars and all rowers place the oars in their oarlocks.
  • “One foot in” — rowers put one foot on the white tape signifying safe weight placement.
  • “And in” — rowers sit, remove shoes, and strap their feet into the foot stretchers.
  • “Count down from bow when ready” — Bow seat says their number when they are ready, followed in order by every other rower.
  • “Hands on” — all rowers hold the dock with one of their hands (the other is on their oar at all times).
  • “Push off” — all rowers (and coxswain) push off of the dock. Once they get far enough away, the rowers with oars lying on the dock pull in their oars and push off the side.

New Jersey:

  • “hands on” - self explanatory, get your hands on the boat!
  • “push it up to heads, heads, ready up!” - lift the boat off the tree, or roll it up from high waist when removing it from the water
  • “walk it forward” - head to the dock
  • “split to shoulders” - go to the side opposite your rigger, and balance the boat on your shoulder supporting it with both hands
  • “oars across” - push your oars out to the collar
  • “one hand on the dock, and shove” - another self explanatory one

New Zealand:

  • ”Hands on” —rowers hold both sides of the boat by their seat.
  • “Take it out” — lift the boat (just a inch above) off of the rack.
  • “Above heads” — rowers lift the boat above their heads.
  • “Split” —rowers lower the boat to their shoulders, standing on alternating opposite sides (generally on the opposite side of your rigger).
  • “Walk it out” — rowers slowly walk the boat out of the boathouse and down to the dock.
  • “Lower” — rowers lower the boat.
  • “Roll” - roll the boat
  • “One foot in” — rowers put one foot on the white tape signifying safe weight placement.
  • “Push off” — push off the pontoon.
  • “Count down from bow when ready” — Bow seat says their number when they are ready, followed in order by every other rower.

Australia:

  • ‘up to shoulders’ - all rowers carry the boat on their shoulders
  • ‘level it’ - carrying the boat at waist level
  • ‘up to arms’ - lift the boat so we carry it over our heads with arms up straight (when taking it out of the water or putting it in)

Portugal:

  • “A CIMA” — lift the boat (just a inch above) off of the rack.
  • “Esticar os barços” — rowers lift the boat above their heads.
  • “Aos ombros” — rowers lower the boat to their shoulders, standing on alternating opposite sides (generally on the opposite side of your rigger).
  • “devagar/cuidado a tirar o barco” — rowers slowly walk the boat out of the boathouse and down to the dock.
  • “Para a esquerda/direita” — all rowers move to the opposite side of the launch site.
  • “Vira o barco” — rowers turn and lower the boat so that it is facing upright by their waists.
  • “Pé em cima do barco” — rowers put one foot on the white tape signifying safe weight placement.
  • “Senta” — rowers sit, remove shoes, and strap their feet into the foot stretchers.
  • “Empurra o barco” — all rowers (and coxswain) push off of the dock. Once they get far enough away, the rowers with oars lying on the dock pull in their oars and push off the side.
  • “À 3ª a cima 1.. 2.. 3… CIMA!” - lift the boat off the tree, or roll it up from high waist when removing it from the water
  • “sempre em frente” - head to the dock
  • “troca para os ombros” - go to the side opposite your rigger, and balance the boat on your shoulder supporting it with both hands
  • “Baixa o barco para as mãos” — rowers lower the boat.
  • “Vira” - roll the boat

In the Boat:

USA:

New Jersey:

  • “let it run” - stop whatever you’re doing, whether it’s walking the boat or rowing
  • “bow 4/stern 4/etc sitting ready to row, in in 2” - watch for the next 2 strokes, then join in
  • “let it run in 2!” - in two strokes quit rowing and set the boat
  • “hold water” - square your oar and put it in the water

New Zealand:

  • “Tension” - rowers at the catch, blade in water

  • “10 pressure” and “10 on” - Power 10

  • “Row” - start rowing
  • “Set it up off the back” - sit at finish, ready to row
  • “Rise Up” - rising the hands as you go up to the catch
  • “10 pressure” - 10 hard strokes
  • “now” - start doing it now. e.g. 10 pressure now, start the pressure.
  • “easy” - ease the oar, stop rowing.
  • “lower” - said after easy, lower the blade so its resting on the water.

UK:

  • “Hold it up” — full crew square up your blades in the water to stop the boat.
  • “Bow side [insert command]” — Never know if this is bow or starboard, I think it’s starboard - the side that bow rows on. same with opposite side which is stroke side.
  • “Balance” — usually used when stopping, full crew sits at hands away, body rocked over position balancing the boat.
  • “Maidstone drop” — no idea whether this is just our club, cox calls it once the boat is being balanced at the end of a trip and full crew squares up, feathers and drops blades at the same time.
  • “Drop” — full crew drops feathered blades at same time onto water.
  • “Square blades” — self explanatory.
  • “Double feather” — crew feathers blades twice during the stroke, at same time.
  • “Cut the cake” — take stroke as normal, but on recovery phase when at the catch, instead of taking the catch, rock back over up to half slide before going back to the catch to take the stroke. [That’s more exercises, but the phrase is a call.]
  • “Are you ready…GO” — to start off the crew at start of a trip/to begin an exercise.
  • “Easy there/easy oars” — stop rowing, doesn’t necessarily mean to hold it up.
  • “On the legs” — full pressure, emphasis on legs.
  • “Take the rate up” — self-explanatory.
  • “Back it down” — opposite of rowing, move boat backwards.
  • “Take it on” — row.
  • ‘Check it’ - alternative to ‘hold it up’, rowers all turn blades ~45 degrees to the water to take the run off the boat (rather than stop the boat completely, which is what I understand by ‘hold it up’). Can be used when turning too i.e. ‘bow side, check it..’
  • ‘Row it round’ - used when turning the boat to command whichever side you need to to row on and pivot the boat (usually combined with ‘——side, check it/hold it up’).
  • ‘Tap it’ - usually used when manouvering into the jetty or holding the boat steady at the jetty, but can be a course correction during an outing - means exactly what it sounds like, the rower receiving the instruction takes a short, light stroke (and repeats until ‘easy there’ as necessary)

Australia:

  • ‘easy oar’ - stop rowing/pause (usually at arms only or quarter slide). Then followed by ‘feather, rest’ - rest blades on the water

Portugal:

  • “Leva…” - stop whatever you’re doing, whether it’s walking the boat or rowing
  • “1/2/3/4 á 3ª rema” - watch for the next 2 strokes, then join in
  • “a 3ª leva…” - in two strokes quit rowing and set the boat
  • “Trava” - rowers at the catch, blade in water
  • “Rema” - start rowing
  • “Final da remada” - sit at finish, ready to row
  • “10 fortes/picadas” - 10 hard strokes
  • “go/rema” - start doing it now. e.g. 10 pressure now, start the pressure.
  • “Lado da voga/sota… [insert command]” — Never know if this is bow or starboard, I think it’s starboard - the side that bow rows on. same with opposite side which is stroke side.
  • “equilibra” — usually used when stopping, full crew sits at hands away, body rocked over position balancing the boat.
  • “Pás dentro de agua” — full crew drops feathered blades at same time onto water.
  • “estão prontos? …GO” — to start off the crew at start of a trip/to begin an exercise.
  • “força de pernas” — full pressure, emphasis on legs.
  • “Aumenta a voga” — Take the rate up”.
  • “Ciar” — opposite of rowing, move boat backwards.

Thank you for submitting!

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