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Management of the Boat, Steering, Etc

Every boat without a rudder is manoeuvred in the water, either by pulling both sides alike, in which case it progresses in a straight line, or by reversing the action of the oars, equally on both sides. pushing them through the water instead of pulling them, and called backing water, when the boat recedes; or by pulling one side only, on which the boat describes a segment of a circle, which is made smaller by pulling one oar, and backing the other. By means of a rudder the boat is made to take a certain course, independent of the rowers, called "steering," the chief art in which consists in keeping the rudder as still as possible, by holding the lines "taut," and avoiding pulling them from one side to the other more than is absolutely necessary.