Dip Pull Swing

Video by Atlantic Challenge USA Director Arista Holden

A simple rowing chant I use, built around the three-part stroke rhythm: dip the oar, pull through the water, swing forward for the next stroke. In this case we're on a Bantry Bay Gig, a 38'6" wooden design originally from France in the 1700s. It is the sort of boat rowed by Atlantic Challenge USA and you TOTALLY SHOULD check out their programs and go row and sing. I typically help lead a program with AC USA each summer called "Music on the Water"- 2026 is at the end of July / beginning of August. Come row and sing with us!

One of the big first challenges people have rowing and singing is matching songs to the oar stroke. Either they have a song they know which has a certain rhythm, which the oar stroke isn't perfectly lined up wih in terms of beats or in terms of beats per minute... or they have a rowing stroke they like and can't find a song that fits it. Add onto that you may have a boat with some more experienced rowers, and some less.

I find what helps with all this is to simply sing the names of the what you're doing. Dip. Pull. Swing. That both communicates to the crew what they should be doing in terms of the rowing stroke cycle, but also gets people singing.

By the way these arent't the terms that rowers around here use for the rowing stroke cycle, (I've heard Reach/Forward, Catch/Drop, Drive/Pull/Haul) All of which could work for a song! Some how Dip, Pull, Swing just kinda worked for me and the crews I was with. Maybe I liked the musicality of it. Upon reflection "Dip, Pull, Reach" might be the most clear... but SWING has a nice sound to it.

Anyway this kind of experimentation and adaptation is at the core of the shanty tradition, which is a tradition of innovation. We think of traditions as being fixed, but in this case the tradition is the change that is required to fit music to work. Makes for a durable and flexible practice and that's one of the reasons I love it.