CHAPTER XVII.

A RECENT CONTROVERSY: ARE ATHLETES HEALTHY?--MR. SANDOW'S VIEWS ON THE TRAINING OF OARSMEN.

It would not be right, I think, to send forth a new book on rowing without referring to the controversy that has recently been carried on in the columns of the _St. James's Gazette_ under the general title of "Are Athletes Healthy?" The discussion, which concerned itself mainly with oarsmen, is naturally of very deep interest, not only to them, but to the fathers and mothers who are anxious about the welfare of their energetic sons, and who, if the charges alleged against rowing can be proved, will, of course, do their best to dissuade their offspring from indulging in this pernicious exercise. I should have preferred to discuss the matter in the earlier chapters of this book, but the printing was already so far advanced as to render this course out of the question, and I am therefore compelled to deal with it somewhat out of its place in this final chapter.

It would be idle to deny that there was some reason for beginning this discussion. Within the past two years three magnificent young oarsmen, Mr. H. B. Cotton, Mr. T. H. E. Stretch, and Mr. E. R. Balfour, have died; the first after an illness of six months' duration, the other two after being ill for less than a fortnight. They were all Oxford men, had rowed in victorious races both at Putney and at Henley, and two of them--Mr. Cotton and Mr. Balfour--had been actually rowing and racing till within a short time of the attack that proved fatal to them. Mr. Stretch had not raced, except in scratch Eights at Putney, since the Henley Regatta of 1896, some ten months before he died.

It has been asserted that these three untimely deaths were due directly to the severe strain undergone both in preparation for racing and in the actual races in which these oarsmen took part, and that had they been content with unathletic lives they might have lived on for many years. Can that be proved? I admit that I do not wish to think the allegation capable of proof, for these three were my familiar friends. I had coached and trained them all; with two of them I had rowed in several races; I had spent innumerable happy days in their society, and the sorrow I feel in having lost them would be terribly increased if I were forced to believe that our favourite sport had had any part in hastening their end. In these cases I will confine myself to stating facts within my own knowledge, and will leave those who read my statement to say whether on a fair view of the matter the exercise of rowing can be held blameworthy.

I may begin by saying that it is the invariable rule at Oxford to send all men who may be required for the University Eight to undergo a preliminary medical examination. This examination is no perfunctory one. It is conducted by Mr. H. P. Symonds, a gentleman of very wide experience, especially amongst undergraduates, and I have known several instances in which, owing to his report, an oarsman has had to withdraw temporarily from the river, and has lost his chance of wearing the coveted blue. There has never been any question about yielding to Mr. Symonds's judgment. His verdict, if adverse, has always been accepted as final both by the oarsman concerned and by the president of the Boat Club. In all the three cases with which I am dealing, Mr. Symonds passed his men as perfectly sound in heart and lungs and in every other organ.

I take the case of Mr. Stretch first, in order to eliminate it conclusively. The cause of his death was appendicitis, followed by severe blood-poisoning. It is quite impossible to connect this painful and malignant illness with rowing or with any other exercise. The _appendix vermiformis_, which is the seat of the disease, is an unaccountable relic in the internal organization of human beings; it is liable to be affected mysteriously and suddenly in the young and the old, and the only effective remedy, I believe, is by means of an operation which removes it altogether. Mr. Stretch had, as I said, not trained and raced for ten months, and up to the moment of his illness had been in the enjoyment of robust and almost exceptional health.

Mr. Cotton, whose case I now proceed to consider, was an Eton boy, and had rowed a great deal during his school days, though he had not been included in the Eton crew at Henley. He was a man of small stature, beautifully built and proportioned, well-framed, muscular, strong, and active. On coming to Oxford he continued his rowing, and being a good waterman and a man of remarkable endurance and courage, he was in his second year placed at bow of the University crew. Altogether he rowed in four victorious Oxford crews, he won the Grand Challenge Cup at Henley twice as bow of a Leander crew, he won the Stewards' Cup in a Magdalen College Four, rowed Head of the River three times, besides taking part in many other races more or less important. During his whole rowing career I knew him to be unwell only once, and that was in 1893, when he suffered from a sore throat at Putney. In 1895 he rowed bow of the Oxford Eight for the fourth time. The training of this crew was a very anxious one. Influenza was very prevalent, and one after another the Oxford men were affected by this illness. There were only two exceptions, and one of these was Mr. Cotton, who was never sick or sorry for a single day during the whole period of practice. Shortly after the race he came to stay with me. He was then perfectly strong, perfectly healthy, and in wonderfully good spirits, and showed not the least sign of being stale or exhausted. He told me himself, on my congratulating him on having escaped the influenza, that he had never felt better or stronger in his life than he did at that time. On the Easter Monday he bicycled from Bourne End to Oxford and back (a distance of nearly seventy miles as he rode it), and, as he had had to battle against a strong cold wind on the return journey, he was very tired on his arrival. On the following morning, however, he appeared perfectly well. Towards the end of that week he complained of feeling "very lackadaisical and having a bad headache," but he attached no importance to these symptoms, and soon after went back to Oxford with a view to rowing in the Magdalen Eight. The tired feeling and the headache, however, continued, and eventually got so bad that he had to take to his bed with a high temperature and all the other symptoms of violent influenza. This illness, neglected at the outset, almost immediately settled on his lungs, both of which were congested with pneumonia. Owing, as Mr. Symonds himself told me, to his good general condition and his great strength, he fought through this, but in the mean time signs of consumption had declared themselves, and of this he died at Davos Platz in the following October.

With regard to Mr. Balfour, the facts are these: He was a man of Herculean build and strength. He played in the Oxford Rugby Union Football team for two years, 1894 and 1895. In 1896 and in this year he rowed in the University Eight, and last July he rowed at Henley in the Leander Eight, and won the pair-oared race with Mr. Guy Nickalls. I can answer for it that during all his races he was absolutely fit and well. I saw him daily at Henley, and, though I knew him to be strong and healthy, I was surprised not merely by his improvement in style, but by the great vigour he displayed in rowing. On the morning after the Regatta I saw him for the last time. He was then in splendid health and spirits. On the 12th of August he shot grouse; on the following day, in very cold wet weather, he went out fishing, and came home wet through, complaining of a chill. On the following day he took to his bed in a high fever, with both lungs congested. The illness next attacked his kidneys, and soon after his life was despaired of. However, he rallied in an extraordinary way until symptoms of blood-poisoning declared themselves, when he rapidly sank, and died on August 27th. Now, this illness was due either to an ordinary chill or to influenza, or, as I have since heard, primarily to blood-poisoning, caused by leaky and poisonous drains at a place where he had been staying before his shooting excursion. A subsequent examination of these drains revealed a very bad condition of affairs immediately underneath the room that Mr. Balfour had occupied. In any case it does not appear--and the strong testimony of the doctors who attended him confirms me in this--that Mr. Balfour's death was due to his rowing. But an objector may say, "It is true that neither in Mr. Cotton's nor in Mr. Balfour's case can death be _directly_ attributed to rowing; their exertions, however, so exhausted their strength, the soundness of their organs, and their powers of resistance to disease, that when they were attacked they became easy victims." To this I oppose (1) the report of Mr. H. P. Symonds, who examined both these oarsmen before they rowed in their University Eights; (2) my own observation of their health, condition, and spirits during practice, in their races, and afterwards when the races were over; and (3) the reports of the doctors who attended them during their last illnesses, and who declared (I speak at second hand with regard to Mr. Balfour, at first hand with regard to Mr. Cotton) that they were both, when struck down, in a surprising state of strength, due to the exercise in which they had taken part, and that in both cases their powers of resistance were far greater than are usually found. Do I go too far in asserting that any doctor in large practice could find in his own experience for each of these two cases at least twenty cases in which non-rowing and non-athletic men have been suddenly carried off by the same sort of illness? I am not concerned to prove that rowing confers an immunity from fatal illness: my point is that in the two cases I have considered, and in all cases where it is pursued under proper conditions of training and medical advice, rowing does not in any way promote a condition favourable to disease.

I pass from these particular cases, the discussion of which has been painful to me, to the general question of health amongst the great mass of those who have been, or are, active rowing men. It may be remembered that some twenty-five years ago Dr. J. H. Morgan, of Oxford, moved to his task by a controversy similar to that which has recently taken place, instituted a very careful inquiry into the health of those who had taken part in the University Boat-race from 1829 to 1869. Their number amounted, if I remember rightly, to 294, of whom 255 were alive at the date of the inquiry. Of these 115 were benefited by rowing, 162 were uninjured, and only in 17 cases was any injury stated to have resulted. And it must be remembered that this inquiry covered a period during which far less care, as a general rule, was exercised both as to the selection and the training of men than is the case at the present day. I may add my own experience. Since I began to row, in 1874, I have rowed and raced with or against hundreds of men in college races and at regattas, and I have watched closely the rowing of very many others in University and in Henley crews. I have kept in touch with rowing men, both my contemporaries and my successors, and amongst them all I could not point to one (putting aside for the moment the three special cases I have just discussed) who has been injured by the exercise, or would state himself to have been injured. On the contrary, I can point to scores and scores of men who have been strengthened in limb and health--I say nothing here of any moral effect--by their early races and the training they had to undergo for them. I could at this moment pick a crew composed of men all more than thirty years old who are still, or have been till quite recently, in active rowing, and, though some of them are married men, I would back them to render a good account of themselves in Eight or Four or Pair against any selection of men that could be made. Nay more, in any other contests of strength or endurance I believe they would more than hold their own against younger athletes, and would overwhelm any similar number of non-athletes of the same or any other age. As contests I should select a hard day's shooting over dogs, cross-country riding, tug-of-war, boxing, long-distance rowing, or, in fact, any contest in which the special element of racing in light ships has no part. For such contests I could pick, not eight, but eighty men well over thirty years old, and if the limit were extended to twenty-four years of age I could secure an army. Is there any one who doubts that my rowing men would knock the non-athletes into a cocked hat? For it must be remembered that the bulk of rowing men are not exclusively devoted to oarsmanship. A very large proportion of those that I have known have been good all-round sportsmen.

As to the general effect of rowing on strength and health I may perhaps be pardoned if I cite my own case, not because there is anything specially remarkable in it, but because it bears on some of the questions that have been raised, and I can speak about it with certainty. In early childhood I had a serious illness which considerably retarded my physical development. At school, however, I took my part in all sports, played three years in the Cricket XI. and in the Football XV., and won several prizes at the athletic sports. I went to Cambridge in 1874, when I was three months short of nineteen, and immediately took to rowing. I was certainly not a particularly strong boy then, though I had a fair share of activity. I rowed persistently in Eights, Fours and Pairs, at first with labour and distress, but gradually, as time went on, with ease and pleasure, and I found that the oftener I rowed the greater became my powers of endurance. I ought to add that I never rowed in the University Race, but I have borne my share in thirty-six bumping races, as well as in numerous other races ranging in distance from three-quarters of a mile to three miles. I believe that the six consecutive races of a May Term call for endurance at least as great as the single race from Putney to Mortlake. My actual muscular strength, too, increased very largely, and has ever since maintained itself unimpaired. I have found that this exercise has, in fact, strengthened and consolidated me all round; and I can think of no other exercise that could have had upon me the same salutary effect that I am justified in attributing mainly to rowing--an effect which has enabled me to endure great exertion, sometimes in extremes of heat or of cold, without the smallest ill result, and has brought me to middle age with sound organs, a strong constitution, active limbs, and a good digestion. There are hundreds of other men who could, I doubt not, give a similar account of themselves.

Out of this main discussion on the health of athletes there sprang a subsidiary one, which proved of even greater interest to rowing men. It was started by Mr. Sandow, the eminent weight-lifter and modern representative of Hercules. Mr. Sandow, stimulated by a disinterested love for his fellow-men in general, and for those of Cambridge University in particular, wrote an article in the _St. James's Gazette_ in which he put forward his own peculiar views on the proper system for the training of athletes. He ended by declaring that if he were allowed to train a Cambridge crew according to his system (it being understood that rowing instruction was at the same time to be imparted to them by a properly qualified teacher), he would guarantee to turn out a crew the like of which had never before sat in a boat. We were to infer, though this was at first sight not obvious, that this crew would easily defeat an Oxford crew trained on a system which Mr. Sandow evidently considered to be absurd and obsolete.

According to Mr. Sandow's system, as he subsequently developed it, the members of this crew were to have complete license in all things. They were to eat what they liked, drink what they liked, smoke as much as they liked, and, in fact, make their own good pleasure the supreme law of their existence. All that Mr. Sandow stipulated was that for some two hours a day during a period of several months these men were to put themselves in Mr. Sandow's hands for the purpose of muscular development all round according to the methods usually employed by him. Any spare energy that might then remain to them might be devoted to the work of rowing in the boat.

Now, in the first place, there are certain elementary difficulties which would go far to prevent the adoption of this experiment. The crew is not selected several months before the race; and even if it were, it would be practically impossible for the men composing it to spare the time required by Mr. Sandow. After all, even the most brilliant of us have to get through a certain amount of work for our degrees. There are lectures to be attended, there is private reading, not to speak of the time which has to be devoted to the ordinary social amenities of life at a University. Sport has its proper place in the life of an undergraduate; but it does not, and cannot, absorb the whole of that life. Yet if a man is to spend two hours with Mr. Sandow, and about two hours and a half (I calculate from the moment he leaves his rooms until he returns from the river) on the exercise of rowing, it is not easy to see how he will have sufficient vigour left to him to tackle the work required even for the easiest of pass examinations. I can foresee that not only the man himself, but his tutors and his parents might offer some rather serious objections.

But I am not going to content myself with pointing out these preliminary difficulties. I go further, and say that the whole proposal is based upon a fallacy. The method of training and development that may fit a man admirably for the purpose of weight-lifting, or of excelling his fellow-creatures in the measurement of his chest and his muscles, is utterly unsuited for a contest that requires great quickness of movement, highly developed lung-power, and general endurance spread over a period of some twenty minutes. It does not follow that because a man measures forty-two inches round the chest, and has all his muscles developed in proportion, he will therefore be better fitted for the propulsion of a racing-boat than a man who in all points of development is his inferior. If I produced Mr. C. W. Kent _incognito_ before Mr. Sandow and asked whether it would be feasible to include this gentleman in an eight-oared crew, Mr. Sandow would probably laugh me to scorn. Mr. Sandow could doubtless hold out Mr. Kent at arm's length with the greatest possible ease. I am perfectly certain that Mr. Kent--if he will pardon me for thus making free with his name--could do nothing of the kind to Mr. Sandow. Yet I am perfectly certain, too, that, in a severely contested race, Mr. Kent--admittedly one of the finest strokes that ever rowed--would, to put it mildly, be more useful than Mr. Sandow. All gymnasium work, and even the modified form of it patented by Mr. Sandow, must tend to make men muscle-bound, and therefore slow. Skilled rowing consists of a series of movements which have to be gone through with a peculiar quickness, precision, and neatness. To be able to go through Mr. Sandow's eight weight exercises, to lift weights, to carry horses on your chest, may indicate great muscular strength, but it has absolutely nothing to do with being able to row. If a rowing man requires some exercise subsidiary to rowing, he would, in my opinion, be far better advised if he devoted some of his spare time to boxing and to fencing, exercises which necessitate immense quickness and perfect combination between brain, hand, and eye, than if he were to spend time in building up his body with such exercises as are included in the Sandow curriculum. But, in the main, rowing must develop for itself the muscles it requires. It is an exercise which, when all is said and done, can only be learnt effectively in a boat on the water. It is thus, and thus only, that a man can acquire the necessary movements, and perfect himself in that sense of balance and of rhythm which is as necessary to a rowing man as muscular strength. My experience leads me to the conclusion that men who, though naturally well-framed and proportioned, are not afflicted with excessive muscle, are more likely to be useful in rowing than the pet of a gymnasium or the muscle-bound prodigies made in the image of Mr. Sandow. I may cite as examples such men as Mr. R. P. P. Rowe, Mr. R. O. Kerrison, Mr. W. Burton Stewart, Mr. W. E. Crum, Mr. J. A. Ford, and Mr. C. W. Kent.[18] All these men acquired their unquestionable excellence as oarsmen by the only possible method--that is, by long practice of rowing in boats. Even an exercise so nearly resembling actual rowing as the tank work practised in the winter by American crews has very serious disadvantages. It might be supposed that it would exercise and keep in trim the muscles required for actual rowing; but its effect is to make men slow and heavy, faults which they have to correct when they once more take to the river.

[18] The photographs reproduced in this chapter are those of active rowing men. No. 4, whose muscular development is the slightest, is one of the most brilliant oarsmen of the day. See also photographs of Mr. Kent and Mr. Gold in Chapter V.

With regard to Mr. Sandow's revolutionary proposals about diet, smoking, and hours, I have only this to say. We rowing men have shown time after time that by adhering to what I do not hesitate to call our common-sense system of rules tempered with indulgences we can bring our men to the post in the most perfect health and condition, absolutely fit, so far as their wind and powers of endurance are concerned, to take part in the severest contests. What has Mr. Sandow shown that should avail, with these results before our eyes, to make us exchange our disciplined liberty for his unfettered license? In the mean time we shall very properly hesitate to take the leap in the dark that he suggests.

I trust that the President of the C.U.B.C. will, in future, conduct the practice of his crew according to the methods that have proved their efficacy over and over again, and that he will not listen to the voice of Mr. Sandow, charm he never so unwisely. _Non tali auxilio_ are boat-races to be won.

APPENDIX.

HENLEY ROYAL REGATTA.

_Secretary_: J. F. COOPER.

QUALIFICATION RULES.

THE GRAND CHALLENGE CUP, FOR EIGHT OARS.

Any crew of amateurs who are members of any University or public school, or who are officers of Her Majesty's army or navy, or any amateur club established at least one year previous to the day of entry, shall be qualified to contend for this prize.

THE STEWARDS' CHALLENGE CUP, FOR FOUR OARS.

The same as for the Grand Challenge Cup.

THE LADIES' CHALLENGE PLATE, FOR EIGHT OARS.

Any crew of amateurs who are members of any of the boat clubs of colleges, or non-collegiate boat clubs of the Universities, or boat clubs of any of the public schools, in the United Kingdom only, shall be qualified to contend for this prize; but no member of any college or non-collegiate crew shall be allowed to row for it who has exceeded four years from the date of his first commencing residence at the University; and each member of a public school crew shall, at the time of entering, be _bon[^a] fide_ a member "_in statu pupillari_" of such school.

THE VISITORS' CHALLENGE CUP, FOR FOUR OARS.

The same as for the Ladies' Challenge Plate.

THE THAMES CHALLENGE CUP, FOR EIGHT OARS.

The qualification for this cup shall be the same as for the Grand Challenge Cup; but no one (coxswains excepted) may enter for this cup who has ever rowed in a winning crew for the Grand Challenge Cup or Stewards' Challenge Cup; and no one (substitutes as per Rule II excepted) may enter, and no one shall row, for this cup and for the Grand Challenge Cup, or Stewards' Challenge Cup, at the same regatta.

THE WYFOLD CHALLENGE CUP, FOR FOUR OARS.

The qualification for this cup shall be the same as for the Stewards' Challenge Cup; but no one shall enter for this cup who has ever rowed in a winning crew for the Stewards' Challenge Cup; and no one (substitutes as per Rule II excepted) may enter, and no one shall row, for this cap and for the Stewards' Challenge Cup at the same regatta.

THE SILVER GOBLETS, FOR PAIR OARS.

Open to all amateurs duly entered for the same according to the Rules following.

THE DIAMOND CHALLENGE SCULLS, FOR SCULLS.

Open to all amateurs duly entered for the same according to the Rules following.

GENERAL RULES.

_Revised December 1st, 1894._

_Definition._

I.--No person shall be considered an amateur oarsman, sculler or coxswain--

1. Who has ever rowed or steered in any race for a stake, money, or entrance-fee.[19]

2. Who has ever knowingly rowed or steered with or against a professional for any prize.

3. Who has ever taught, pursued, or assisted in the practice of athletic exercises of any kind for profit.

4. Who has ever been employed in or about boats, or in manual labour, for money or wages.

5. Who is or has been by trade or employment for wages, a mechanic, artisan, or labourer, or engaged in any menial duty.

6. Who is disqualified as an amateur in any other branch of sport.

[19] This clause is not to be construed as disqualifying any otherwise duly qualified amateur who previously to June 23, 1894, has rowed or steered for a stake, money, or entrance-fee, in a race confined to members of any one club, school, college, or University.

_Eligibility._

II.--No one shall be eligible to row or steer for a club unless he has been a member of that club for at least two months preceding the regatta, but this Rule shall not apply to colleges, schools, or crews composed of officers of Her Majesty's army or navy.

_Entries._

III.--The entry of any amateur club, crew, or sculler, in the United Kingdom, must be made ten clear days before the regatta, and the names of the captain or secretary of each club or crew must accompany the entry. A copy of the list of entries shall be forwarded by the secretary of the regatta to the captain or secretary of each club or crew duly entered.

IV.--The entry of any crew or sculler, out of the United Kingdom, other than a crew or sculler belonging to a club affiliated to the Union des Soci['e]t['e]s Francaises de Sports Athl['e]tiques, or of the Deutscher Ruder Verband, or of the Verbonden Nederlandsche Roeivereenigingen, must be made on or before the 31st of March, and any such entry must be accompanied by a declaration made before a notary public, with regard to the profession of each person so entering, to the effect that he has never rowed or steered in any race for a stake, money, or entrance fee; has never knowingly rowed or steered with or against a professional for any prize; has never taught, pursued, or assisted in the practice of athletic exercises of any kind for profit; has never been employed in or about boats, or in manual labour for money or wages; is not, and never has been, by trade or employment, for wages, a mechanic, artisan, or labourer, or engaged in any menial duty; and is not disqualified as an amateur in any other branch of sport; and in cases of the entry of a crew, that such crew represents a club which has been duly established at least one year previous to the day of entry: and such declaration must be certified by the British Consul or the mayor, or the chief authority of the locality.

The entry of any crew or sculler belonging to a club affiliated to the Union des Soci['e]t['e]s Francaises de Sports Athl['e]tiques, or of the Deutscher Ruder Verband, or of the Verbonden Nederlandsche Roeivereenigingen, must be made on or before the 1st of June, and any such entry must be accompanied by a declaration in writing by the secretary of such Union, or Verband, or by the Council of the club from time to time appointed by the Verbonden Nederlandsche Roeivereenigingen, with regard to the profession of each person so entering, to the effect that he has never since the institution of the Union des Soci['e]t['e]s Francaises de Sports Athl['e]tiques, or the Deutscher Ruder Verband, or of the Verbonden Nederlandsche Roeivereenigingen, as the case may be, either rowed or steered in any race for a stake, money, or entrance fee; or knowingly rowed or steered with or against a professional for any prize; has never taught, pursued, or assisted in the practice of athletic exercises of any kind for profit; has never been employed in or about boats, or in manual labour for money or wages; is not, and never has been by trade or employment, for wages, a mechanic, artisan, or labourer, or engaged in any menial duty; and is not disqualified as an amateur in any other branch of sport; and in cases of the entry of a crew, that each member thereof is and has been for two months a member of such club, and that such club has been duly established at least one year previous to the day of entry.

V.--No assumed name shall be given to the secretary unless accompanied by the real name of the competitor.

VI.--No one shall enter twice for the same race.

VII.--No official of the regatta shall divulge any entry, or report the state of the entrance list, until such list be closed.

VIII.--Entrance money for each boat shall be paid to the secretary at the time of entering, as follows:--

[L] _s._ _d._ For the Grand Challenge Cup 6 6 0 " Ladies' Challenge Plate 5 5 0 " Thames Challenge Cup 5 5 0 " Stewards' " 4 4 0 " Visitors' " 3 3 0 " Wyfold " 3 3 0 " Silver Goblets 2 2 0 " Diamond Challenge Sculls 1 1 0

IX.--The Committee shall investigate any questionable entry, irrespective of protest.

X.--The Committee shall have power to refuse or return any entry up to the time of starting, without being bound to assign a reason.

XI.--The captain or secretary of each club or crew entered shall, seven clear days before the regatta, deliver to the secretary of the regatta a list containing the names of the actual crew appointed to compete, to which list the names of not more than four other members for an eight-oar and two for a four-oar may be added as substitutes.

XII.--No person may be substituted for another who has already rowed or steered in a heat.

XIII.--The secretary of the regatta, after receiving the list of the crews entered, and of the substitutes, shall, if required, furnish a copy of the same, with the names, real and assumed, to the captain or secretary of each club or crew entered, and in the case of pairs or scullers to each competitor entered.

_Objections._

XIV.--Objections to the entry of any club or crew must be made in writing to the secretary at least four clear days before the regatta, when the committee shall investigate the grounds of objection, and decide thereon without delay.

XV.--Objections to the qualification of a competitor must be made in writing to the secretary at the earliest moment practicable. No protest shall be entertained unless lodged before the prizes are distributed.

_Course._

XVI.--The races shall commence below the Island, and terminate at the upper end of Phyllis Court. Length of course, about 1 mile and 550 yards.

XVII.--The whole course must be completed by a competitor before he can be held to have won a trial or final heat.

_Stations._

XVIII.--Stations shall be drawn by the Committee.

_Row over._

XIX.--In the event of there being but one boat, entered for any prize, or if more than one enter, and all withdraw but one, the crew of the remaining boat must row over the course to be entitled to such prize.

_Heats._

XX.--If there shall be more than two competitors, they shall row a trial heat or heats; but no more than two boats shall contend in any heat for any of the prizes above mentioned.

XXI.--In the event of a dead heat taking place, the same crews shall contend again, after such interval as the Committee may appoint, or the crew refusing shall be adjudged to have lost the heat.

_Clothing._

XXII.--Every competitor must wear complete clothing from the shoulders to the knees--including a sleeved jersey.

_Coxswains._

XXIII.--Every eight-oared boat shall carry a coxswain; such coxswain must be an amateur, and shall not steer for more than one club for the same prize.

The minimum weight for coxswains shall be 7 stone.

Crews averaging 10-1/2 stone and under 11 stone to carry not less than 7-1/2 stone.

Crews averaging 11 stone or more, to carry not less than 8 stone.

Deficiencies must be made up by dead weight carried on the coxswain's thwart.

The dead weight shall be provided by the Committee, and shall be placed in the boat and removed from it by a person appointed for that purpose.

Each competitor (including the coxswain) in eight and four-oared races shall attend to be weighed (in rowing costume) at the time and place appointed by the Committee: and his weight then registered by the secretary shall be considered his racing weight during the regatta.

Any member of a crew omitting to register his weight shall be disqualified.

_Flag._

XXIV.--Every boat shall, at starting, carry a flag showing its colour at the bow. Boats not conforming to this Rule are liable to be disqualified at the discretion of the umpire.

_Umpire._

XXV.--The Committee shall appoint one or more umpires to act under the laws of boat-racing.

_Judge._

XXVI.--The Committee shall appoint one or more judges, whose decision as to the order in which the boats pass the post shall be final.

_Prizes._

XXVII.--The prizes shall be delivered at the conclusion of the regatta to the respective winners, who on receipt of a challenge prize shall subscribe a document of the following effect:--

"I/We A (B C D, etc.) (members of the club), having been this day declared to be the winners of the Henley Royal Regatta Challenge Cup (or diamond sculls), and the same having been delivered to us on behalf of the stewards of the said regatta, do (jointly and severally) agree to return in good order and condition as now received the said cup (or diamond sculls), to the stewards on or before June 1st next, and I/we do also (jointly and severally) agree that if the said cup (or sculls) be accidentally lost or destroyed, or in any way permanently defaced, I/we will on or before the date aforesaid, or as near thereto as may be conveniently possible, place in the hands of the said stewards a cup (or diamond sculls) of similar design and value, and engraved with the names of the previous winners (their officers) (and crews) as now engraved on the present cup and base./case. In witness of which agreement I/we have hereunto subscribed my/our (respective) name./names."

_Committee._

XXVIII.--All questions of eligibility, qualification, interpretation of the Rules, or other matters not specially provided for, shall be referred to the Committee, whose decision shall be final.

XXIX.--The laws of boat-racing to be observed at the regatta are as follows:--

(_The same as the A.R.A. Laws._)

THE AMATEUR ROWING ASSOCIATION.

_Hon. Sec._: R. C. LEHMANN, 30, Bury Street, St. James's, S.W.

_Revised, April 23rd, 1894._

CONSTITUTION.

I.--This Association shall be called "The Amateur Rowing Association," and its objects shall be--

1. To maintain the standard of amateur oarsmanship as recognized by the Universities and principal boat clubs of the United Kingdom;

2. To promote the interests of boat-racing generally.

II.--The Association shall consist of clubs which adopt the following definition of an amateur, viz.:

No person shall be considered an amateur oarsman, sculler, or coxswain--

1. Who has ever rowed or steered in any race for a stake, money or entrance-fee.[20]

2. Who has ever knowingly rowed or steered with or against a professional for any prize.

3. Who has ever taught, pursued, or assisted in the practice of athletic exercises of any kind for profit.

4. Who has ever been employed in or about boats, or in manual labour, for money or wages.

5. Who is or has been by trade or employment for wages a mechanic, artisan, or labourer, or engaged in any menial duty.

6. Who is disqualified as an amateur in any other branch of sport.

[20] N.B.--This clause is not to be construed as disqualifying any otherwise duly qualified amateur who previously to April 23rd, 1894, has rowed or steered for a stake, money or entrance-fee, in a race confined to members of any one club, school, college, or University.

III.--Any amateur club willing to bind itself to observe the rules of the Association may become affiliated upon making application to the Hon. Sec. of the A.R.A., and being elected by a majority of two-thirds of the meeting of the Committee.

Every affiliated club shall have at least one vote at General Meetings. Any club having more than two hundred full members shall have in addition one vote for every hundred or part of a hundred members in excess of two hundred; but no club shall have more than six votes.

Every affiliated club shall, when required, send to the Hon. Sec. of the A.R.A. a list of its members and a copy of its last balance-sheet.

The Committee shall not consider an application for affiliation from any club previously refused, until after the expiration of twelve calendar months from the date of such refusal.

IV.--Each club shall pay to the expenses of the Association an annual subscription to be fixed by the Committee; such subscription not to exceed one guinea.

V.--The government and management of the Association shall be vested in a Committee of twenty-five members, who shall meet once at least in every six months, or as often as may be required. At the first meeting of the Committee in each year a chairman shall be elected, who shall remain in office until the next General Meeting. At all meetings of the committee the chairman shall preside, and in his absence a chairman shall be elected for the occasion; seven members shall form a quorum, and the chairman shall have a casting vote.

VI.--For the purpose of electing the members of the Committee a General Meeting of the representatives of the affiliated clubs shall be held once a year at a date to be fixed by the Committee. Ten days' notice of this meeting shall be given.

Each club shall notify to the Secretary in writing, not less than three days prior to the Annual General Meeting, the names of its authorized representatives, the number of whom must not exceed the number of votes to which such club is entitled; but should a club nominate one representative only such representative can record the number of votes to which his club is entitled.

VII.--Five members of the Committee shall be elected at each Annual General Meeting, and shall remain in office for three years. The Committees of the Cambridge University Boat Club, the Royal Chester Rowing Club, the Kingston Rowing Club, the Leander Club, the London Rowing Club, the Molesey Boat Club, the Oxford University Boat Club, the Thames Rowing Club, and the Twickenham Rowing Cub shall each nominate annually a member of the Committee, and such nomination shall be sent to the Secretary prior to the General Meeting. The Hon. Sec. of the A.R.A. shall be an _ex officio_ member of the Committee of the A.R.A. In the year 1894, in order to complete the number of twenty-five, the fifteen members of the Committee elected and nominated as hereinbefore provided shall meet and co-opt the remaining ten members, and the business of that meeting shall be confined to this object alone. Five members of the Committee shall retire annually by rotation, but shall be eligible for re-election. Five of the co-opted members shall retire in 1895, the remaining five in 1896. The Committee shall have power to fill up any vacancy that may occur during the year amongst the elected members, but any vacancy amongst the nominated members shall be filled up by the club affected.

VIII.--The Committee shall have power to affiliate clubs to the Association, to appoint officers, to make or alter rules, to suspend, disqualify, and reinstate amateurs, and generally to determine and settle all questions and disputes relating to boat-racing which may be referred to them for decision. And further, the Committee shall take such other steps as they may consider necessary or expedient for carrying into effect the objects of the Association.

IX.--The Committee shall have power on due cause being shown to suspend any affiliated club or to remove it from the list of affiliated clubs.

No motion for the suspension or removal of a club shall be considered except at a Committee Meeting specially called at not less than seven days' notice for the purpose. Such a motion shall not be deemed carried except by a majority of two-thirds of the Committee present.

A resolution for the removal of a club must be confirmed at a subsequent meeting of the Committee specially summoned at not less than seven days' notice for the purpose.

X.--The hon. sec. shall be elected by the Committee; he shall keep a proper record of the proceedings of the Committee and of General Meetings, and shall be responsible for the books, accounts, and funds of the Association.

XI.--No member of any club affiliated to the Association shall compete in any regatta in England which is not held in accordance with the rules of the Association.

XII.--No addition to or alteration in these rules shall be made except by the vote of a majority of two-thirds of a meeting of the Committee specially summoned at not less than seven days' notice for the purpose. Such notice shall state the alteration or addition proposed.

LIST OF AFFILIATED CLUBS.

N.B.--The figures denote the number of votes to which each of the clubs is entitled.

(1) Albion Rowing Club. (1) Anglian Boat Club. (1) Ariel Rowing Club. (1) Avon Rowing Club. (1) Barry Amateur Rowing Club. (1) Bedford Amateur Rowing Club. (1) Bewdley Rowing Club. (1) Birmingham Rowing Club. (1) Bradford Amateur Rowing Club. (1) Bridgnorth Rowing Club. (1) Broxbourne Rowing Club. (1) Burton Rowing Club. (6) Cambridge University Boat Club. (1) Cardiff Amateur Rowing Club. (1) Cecilian Rowing Club. (1) Cooper's Hill Boat Club. (1) Gloucester Rowing Club. (1) Henley Rowing Club. (1) Irex Rowing Club. (1) Iris Rowing Club. (1) Ironbridge Rowing Club. (1) Kensington Rowing Club. (2) Kingston Rowing Club. (6) Leander Club. (1) Leicester Rowing Club. (1) Liverpool Rowing Club. (6) London Rowing Club. (1) Marlow Rowing Club. (1) Medway Rowing Club. (1) Mersey Rowing Club. (1) Molesey Boat Club. (1) North London Boat Club. (1) Nottingham Rowing Club. (6) Oxford University Boat Club. (1) Pembroke Rowing Club. (2) Pengwern Boat Club. (1) Reading Rowing Club. (1) Redcliffe Rowing Club. (2) Royal Chester Rowing Club. (1) Royal Savoy Club. (1) Staines Boat Club. (1) Stourport Boat Club. (5) Thames Rowing Club. (1) Twickenham Rowing Club. (1) Vesta Rowing Club. (1) Warwick Boat Club. (1) Worcester Rowing Club.

RULES FOR REGATTAS.

I.--The laws of boat-racing adopted by the Association shall be observed, and the Association's definition of an amateur shall govern the qualifications of each competitor.

II.--The Regatta Committee shall state on their programmes, and all other official notices and advertisements, that their regatta is held in accordance with the rules of the A.R.A.

III.--No money or "value prize" (_i.e._ a cheque on a tradesman) shall be offered for competition, nor shall a prize and money be offered as alternatives.

IV.--Entries shall close at least three clear days before the date of the regatta.

V.--No assumed name shall be given to the secretary of the regatta unless accompanied by the real name of the competitor.

VI.--No one shall enter twice for the same race.

VII.--No official of the regatta shall divulge any entry, or report the state of the entrance list, until such list be closed.

VIII.--The Regatta Committee shall investigate any questionable entry irrespective of protest, and shall have power to refuse or return any entry up to the time of starting, without being bound to assign a reason.

IX.--The captain or secretary of each club or crew entered, shall, at least three clear days before the regatta, deliver to the secretary of the regatta a list containing the names of the actual crew appointed to compete, to which list the names of not more than four other members for an eight-oar, and two for a four-oar, may be added as substitutes.

X.--No person may be substituted for another who has already rowed or steered in a heat.

XI.--The secretary of the regatta, after receiving the list of the crews entered, and of the substitutes, shall, if required, furnish a copy of the same, with the names, real and assumed, to the captain or secretary of each club or crew entered, and, in the case of pairs or scullers, to each competitor entered.

XII.--Objections to the qualification of a competitor must be made in writing to the secretary of the regatta at the earliest moment practicable. No protest shall be entertained unless lodged before the prizes are distributed.

XIII.--The whole course must be completed by a competitor before he can be held to have won a trial or final heat.

XIV.--In the event of there being but one boat entered for any prize, or if more than one enter and all withdraw but one, the crew of the remaining boat must row over the course to be entitled to such prize.

XV.--In the event of a dead heat taking place, any competitor refusing to row again, as may be directed by the Regatta Committee, shall be adjudged to have lost.

XVI.--Every competitor must wear complete clothing from the shoulders to the knees--including a sleeved jersey.

XVII.--The Regatta Committee shall appoint one or more umpires.

XVIII.--The Regatta Committee shall appoint one or more judges, whose decision as to the order in which the boats pass the posts shall be final.

XIX.--A maiden oarsman is an oarsman (A) who has never won a race with oars at a regatta; (B) who has never been a competitor in any International or Inter-University Rowing Match.

A maiden sculler is a sculler (A) who has never won a sculling race at a regatta; (B) who has never competed for the Diamond Sculls at Henley, or for the Amateur Championship of any country.

XX.--A junior oarsman is an oarsman (A) who has never won a race with oars at a regatta other than a school race; a race in which the construction of the boats was restricted; or a race limited to members of one club; (B) who has never been a competitor in any International or Inter-University match. No oarsman who has won a race at a regatta in which the construction of the boats was restricted, shall compete as a junior in any such race after the end of the current year.

A junior sculler is a sculler (A) who has never won a sculling race at a regatta other than a race in which the construction of the boats was restricted; or a race limited to members of one club; (B) who has never competed for the Diamond Sculls at Henley, or for the Amateur Championship of any country.

N.B.--The qualification shall in every case relate to the day of the regatta.

XXI.--All questions not specially provided for shall be decided by the Regatta Committee.

LAWS OF BOAT-RACING.

I.--All boat races shall be started in the following manner:--The starter on being satisfied that the competitors are ready, shall give the signal to start.

II.--A boat not at its post at the time specified, shall be liable to be disqualified by the umpire.

III.--The umpire may act as starter, or not, as he thinks fit; when he does not so act, the starter shall be subject to the control of the umpire.

IV.--If the starter considers the start false, he shall at once recall the boats to their stations, and any boat refusing to start again shall be disqualified.

V.--Each boat shall keep its own water throughout a race. A boat departing from its own water will do so at its peril.

VI.--A boat's own water is its due course, parallel with the course of the other competing boat or boats, from the station assigned to it at starting, to the finish.

VII.--No fouling whatever shall be allowed; the boat or boats committing a foul shall be disqualified.

VIII.--It shall be considered a foul when, after a race has been started, any competitor, by his oar, boat, or person, comes into contact with the oar, boat, or person of another competitor; unless, in the opinion of the umpire, such contact is so slight as not to influence the race.

IX.--A claim of foul must be made to the umpire or the judge by the competitor himself before getting out of his boat.

X.--In case of a foul the umpire shall have power--

(_a_) To place the boats not disqualified in the order in which they come in.

(_b_) To order the boats not disqualified to row again on the same or another day.

(_c_) To re-start the boats not disqualified according to his discretion.

XI.--The umpire shall be sole judge of a boat's own water and due course during a race, and he may caution any competitor when in danger of committing a foul.

XII.--The umpire, when appealed to, shall decide all questions as to a foul.

XIII.--Every boat shall abide by its accidents, but if during a race a boat shall be interfered with by any outside boat, the umpire shall have power, if he thinks fit, to re-start the boats according to his discretion, or to order them to row again on the same or another day.

XIV.--No boat shall be allowed to accompany or follow any race for the purpose of directing the course of any of the competitors. Any competitor receiving any extraneous assistance may be disqualified, at the discretion of the umpire.

XV.--Boats shall be held to have completed the course when their bows reach the winning post.

XVI.--Any competitor refusing to abide by the decision of the umpire, or to follow his directions, shall be disqualified.

XVII.--The umpire, if he thinks proper, may reserve his decision, provided that in every case such decision be given on the day of the race.

XVIII.--The jurisdiction of the umpire extends over a race and all matters connected with it, from the time the race is specified to start until its termination, and his decision in all cases shall be final and without appeal.

* * * * *

A brief explanation of some points arising out of the Rules and Regulations of the A.R.A. may be useful.

"PROFESSIONAL."

Up to 1894 the A.R.A. gave a very wide interpretation to the term "professional," which was held to include "any person not qualified as an amateur under A.R.A. Rules." Mechanics, artisans, labourers, men engaged in menial duty, or employed in manual labour for money or wages, were, therefore, not merely disqualified as amateurs, but were considered to be professionals, and competition against them for a prize involved disqualification to the amateur so competing. In 1894, however, the whole code of A.R.A. was submitted to the revision of a sub-committee, and their report, subsequently adopted by the full committee, laid it down that from this time on the word "professional" must be interpreted "in its primary and literal sense," _i.e._ one who makes money by rowing, sculling, or steering. An amateur rowing, or sculling, or steering with or against a professional for a prize is still disqualified, but the amateur status of one who rows or steers with or against mechanics, artisans, etc. (provided, of course, the race is not for a stake, money, or entrance fee), is not affected. At the same time it must be remembered (Rule I of Rules for Regattas) that at regattas held in accordance with A.R.A. rules no mechanic, artisan, etc., can be admitted to compete, and by Clause XI. of the Constitution no member of any club affiliated to the A.R.A. is permitted to compete at a regatta not held in accordance with A.R.A. rules. The result would seem to be, therefore, that whereas an amateur who is not a member of a club affiliated to the A.R.A. can compete against mechanics, artisans, etc., at a regatta not held in accordance with A.R.A. rules without incurring any penalty, a member of a club affiliated to the A.R.A. can compete against this class only in a private match. Any member of an affiliated club transgressing Clause XI. would unquestionably render himself liable to suspension under Clause VIII. of the Constitution. There are now, therefore, three classes of oarsmen, viz. amateurs, non-amateurs, and professionals.

NON-AMATEURS.

The A.R.A. holds that "apprenticeship is no disqualification." Nobody, therefore, is to be disqualified for serving an apprenticeship, even if it involves (as in the case of engineers or nurserymen) manual labour for a money payment. But such manual labour on the part of one who has passed through his ordinary apprenticeship and still continues at the work for a year or two would disqualify.

The committee has held that disqualification attaches, for instance, to--

(1) A watchmaker's assistant who works, or has worked, at the bench.

(2) A baker's assistant who not only helps to make bread, but also delivers it.

(3) Engravers and etchers.

(4) A man having an interest in a boat-letting business, _and_ taking in or starting boats at a raft.

But not to--

(5) A 3rd engineer, sea-going, who goes to sea and works for money, where such sea-service it necessary to qualify him for passing his examinations for the position of chief engineer.

(6) A draughtsman in an engineering firm, though working for wages.

Decisions 3 and 6 are not easily to be reconciled.

REGATTA. JUNIOR OARSMEN AND SCULLERS.

Doubts have occasionally arisen as to what is the correct meaning of the word "Regatta" in Clause XI. of the Constitution, and in Rules 19 and 20 of the Rules for Regattas. The committee has held that any meeting, whether or not called open, at which more than one club, or members of more than one club, compete, is a regatta. This decision does not cover a private match, but does cover a regatta where, for instance, the competition is limited to certain clubs, specially invited by the club or committee who arrange and manage the regatta. Thus, if a junior competed and won, either as an oarsman or sculler, at a regatta limited, say, to members of the London, Kingston, and Thames Rowing Clubs, he would by so winning cease to be a junior, provided the race was neither a school race nor one in which the construction of the boats was restricted.

The committee has decided that a man who rows over for a junior sculls race, even though he receive no prize (the committee not awarding one in any race in which there was only one starter), ceases to be a junior sculler.

A junior sculler may be a senior oarsman, and _vice vers[^a]_.

EXTRACTS FROM THE RULES AND REGULATIONS OF THE CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY BOAT CLUB.

LAWS OF THE CLUB.

I.--That the CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY BOAT CLUB consist of the members of the several boat clubs in the University.

II.--That the affairs of the club be under the management of a president, a vice-president (who shall also be hon. secretary), a treasurer, the captains of all boats rowing in the regular University races, and all those who have been members of the University crew. The president and vice-president shall be elected at the first meeting in each term, and those only to be eligible who shall have been members of a University crew. The treasurer shall be a resident graduate of the University, to be elected annually at the first meeting of the Easter Term.

III.--That to assist the officers in case of extraordinary and pressing business, a small committee be formed, consisting of the president, vice-president, treasurer, and three extra committee-men, who shall be elected at the last meeting of the C.U.B.C. in each term. That members of the Committee shall have the right of attending meetings of the C.U.B.C. and voting at the same. That at meetings of the committee all except the treasurer must be present in person or by deputy. The treasurer must attend all meetings of the committee on financial questions.

. . . . . .

VIII.--That all cases of dispute be referred to the president or his deputy, and the four first-boat captains, in residence, of the clubs in their order on the river who are not concerned in the dispute: whose decision shall be final. That representatives of the clubs concerned be present at the meeting.

. . . . . .

XVIII.--That the secretary of each boat club do send in to the assistant-secretary of the C.U.B.C. a balance-sheet of the receipts and expenditure of his club for the past year, within three weeks of the beginning of the October Term. That the penalty for neglecting this Rule be one guinea.

XIX.--That every club do pay to the C.U.B.C. a subscription in proportion to its receipts for the previous year.

XX.--That the rate per cent. of this tax be fixed by the treasurer of the C.U.B.C., and, when confirmed by the Finance Committee, levied in three equal instalments.

XXI.--That all moneys, however obtained, be included in the receipts of a College boat club, except such as are specially subscribed towards the expenses of a crew going to Henley.

XXII.--That any club neglecting to pay the subscriptions or arrears due to the C.U.B.C. within six weeks of the beginning of full term be fined one guinea; and that no captain be allowed to vote whose club is in arrear.

XXIII.--That medals be given by the C.U.B.C. to each member of such University crews as shall be winners of the University match with Oxford. Also to each member of those College crews which shall be head of the river at the end of the Lent and Easter Term races; and to each member of the Trial Eights.

. . . . . .

XXVI.--That all boats, except tub-pairs, used for coaching purposes be obliged to carry an india-rubber ball fixed to the nose of the boat. That the penalty for neglecting this Rule be one guinea.

REGULATIONS FOR BOAT-RACING.

I.--That none but members of the C.U.B.C. be allowed to row or steer in the C.U.B.C. races.

II.--That there be regular eight-oared races in the Easter and Lent Terms, and that the days on which they shall take place and the number of races be appointed and declared at the last general meeting of the preceding term respectively. That in these races two umpires be appointed by the president or his deputy; that in all other C.U.B.C. races one umpire be appointed.

III.--That the number of boats be limited in the Easter Term to thirty, rowing in two divisions of fifteen and sixteen respectively, including the sandwich boat, and in the Lent Term to thirty-one, rowing in two divisions of sixteen each, including the sandwich boat.

IV.--(1) That in the Lent and Easter Terms the two divisions be named respectively first and second division. That in the Lent Term both divisions shall row in clinker-built boats not more than 57 feet long, with not less than five streaks on a side, none of which shall exceed 4-1/2 inches (outside measurement). All such boats must be passed by the president and secretary of the C.U.B.C. before they can be used in the races. That in the Easter Term the first division shall row in racing ships on sliding seats, and the second division in clinker-built boats, as above, and sliding seats.

(2) That every college boat club have the right to be represented by at least one boat in the Lent races; and by at least one, and not more than three, in the May races.

V.--That during the races no person shall row or steer in both divisions (the crews of the last boats in a division excepted), except under peculiar circumstances, to be decided by the president or his deputy and the four senior captains in residence who are not concerned, which decision must be obtained before the crew or crews in question be allowed to start.

VI.--In the races in the Lent Term no one be allowed to row or steer who rowed or steered respectively in any race of the previous Easter Term.

VII.--That no one be allowed to row in the Lent or May races, or Fours or Pairs, after more than four years have elapsed from the first term he came up, unless he keep in residence three-fourths of the term in which he desires to row.

VIII.--That each crew be chosen from one club and college in the case of Trinity and St. John's, and from not more than two clubs or two colleges in the case of other colleges; and that the crew of the two colleges joining be considered as a fresh one, and start from the bottom.

IX.--That in order to take a boat off the river the captain must give notice to the hon. secretary of the C.U.B.C., who shall place lists of the boats entered for the races, arranged according to their order, in the different University boat-houses, at least a week before the commencement of races in each term, and on every race day during the term.

X.--(1) That in the Easter Term any club desirous of putting on a second or third boat shall have the right to challenge the lowest non-representative boat to a bumping-race, but if successful shall start at the bottom of the river. That if there be more challenging crews than one, they shall row a time race amongst themselves, and the winner shall row the challenged boat. That the entrance fee for such races be five guineas; that the date for them be fixed at the first general meeting of the term, and that at least ten clear days' notice be given to the secretary of the C.U.B.C. by the captains of crews desirous to compete.

(2) That no man who has rowed in the successful challenging boat shall row in a higher boat during the following May races, except as in