Submerge yourself in the relaxing sounds of a modern-day rowing regatta in this latest soundscape album by Evocative Sound and Visuals. For Rowing on the River, listen to the graceful rhythms of single-scull (1x) and eight-person (8+) sweep rowing crews swinging their oars in harmony as they power long, narrow racing shells toward the finish line in head races along the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, Ohio.
You’ll be able to hear each repetitive stroke, consisting of the ‘catch,’ the ‘drive,’ the ‘finish’ and the ‘recovery,’ in a way not normally heard. That’s because everything you hear is from underwater. Pay particular attention to the splash as rowers ‘feather’ their 9 ½ foot oars with a turn of their wrist, twisting the blade from the vertical to the horizontal, called ‘squaring.’ Listen to how boats sometimes squeak as they cut through the water, oars rotating in their oarlocks.
Hydrophones have been used to make this recording. This is akin to dunking your head underwater and keeping it there for minutes on end. An impossible task, especially in the Cuyahoga River, made possible with underwater microphones. In this instance, they have the added benefit of muffling unwanted distractions like airplane and road noise. When the rowing becomes intense, a coxswain can be heard barking orders to the rowers in their boats.
It is a testament to successful environmental cleanup efforts along the once-polluted Cuyahoga River over the last 55 years that these competitive rowers are willing and able to propel their racing shells inches off the waterline. The river was famous for catching fire at least a dozen times since Cleveland became a major Midwestern manufacturing city. The first time was in 1868, the last in 1969. Coincidentally, the recording location for Rowing on the River happens to be at the site of one of the river’s largest fires, the 1952 blaze. Rest assured, this time, instead of being surrounded by oil, black smoke and sky-high flames, one finds only the remains of a burned-out bridge, some scattered trash and the annoying bees attracted to it.
Below the waterline, out of sight from the city’s industrial grit, we are treated to the sounds of boys and girls, men and women, putting oars to water in seemingly effortless unison. Through strength, determination and teamwork, they glide along this ‘crooked river’ in one fluid motion over and over again.
Now take a seat, lean back and enjoy the ride.
Album Specifics
- Sound Devices 702 recorder with a spaced pair of Aquarian H2A hydrophones
- Originally captured at 96kHz/24 bit, this 38-minute recording is reproduced here at CD-quality 44kHz/16 bit
Behind the Scenes
Further Reading
- Learn rowing terminology at the Sagamore Rowing Association website here.
- Read what Wikipedia has to say about the sport of rowing here.
- Learn what makes up a stroke at US Rowing here.
- For this recording, I captured the annual Head of the Cuyahoga Regatta (a portion of it around the 9 a.m. hour) hosted by the Cleveland Rowing Foundation and now in its 28th year. You can learn more about the race and see results here. There’s no way to know specifically which boats I recorded, but it was in chronological order.