What would a coxswain do?

Hi again,

So I just read Catey's post and was really amused because I didn't know Claire's wedding was in Buffalo and I drove through Buffalo on my way to and from Canada this weekend. Darn, I could have crashed Claire's wedding.

So the reason I went to Canada (the land of everything being in English and in French, and of Tim Horton's, or Timmy Ho's) this weekend was to cox at a masters regatta. It was in Welland at the Welland International Flatwater Centre, a beautiful course with nice blue water and this really fancy starting gate that not only has an official calling the start but also a buzzer and a light that changes from red to green. Wheee flashy things! Also the course has pretty limited dock space so we got to wet launch all day--my favorite kind of launching!! You could wade in over these rocks but the rocks sort of dropped off pretty quickly. So pretty much every time I would try to walk the boat out a little bit from the shore before I would hop in, but I kept tripping and falling in up to my chest so then I would have to like heave myself over head first. Also someone's kid kept seeing snakes in the water. But no dolphins or manatees. I miss Florida.

I might post a few pictures later. I didn't take any but sadly a lot of the old people have Facebook and such so yeah maybe I'll put some up.

Despite the snake-infested Canadian waters, it was a fun race. I don't know if any of you have ever seen the movie The Skulls, but in the first 10 min or so, they show the main character stroking the Yale 8+ in the Ivy League Championship Regatta (aka Eastern Sprints but with only the Ivies). Seven breaks his oar like 500m in and the coxswain has him bail and they finish and win with only 7 guys. Yes, really. Anyway about 250m (masters races are only 1000m so for them its like the first 500) into this race (the mixed 8+; yes they have mixed events at masters races), two's collar broke off of her oar. I was REALLY close to having her slide her oar out, jump, and hold her breath, but I a. didn't know if that was allowed (I check afterwards and it is, you just have to cross the line bow first and with the coxswain in the boat) and b. didn't think she'd have the balls to actually jump. I am still really mad that I didn't make her jump because I have wanted to do that ever since I saw that movie. Manyan/Victoria/twins, what would you guys have done?