Rowing in bad weather

Rowing is an outdoor sport. You can't really avoid that fact! All the gym work and fitness work can be done inside but eventually to learn how a boat feels and balances you’ll need to get outside. This can be annoying in countries where the weather is very changeable. Most coaches don't have a problem pushing their athletes to row in windy and wet conditions. My view on it is, if they would cancel a regatta over the weather we’re rowing in, then is there much point rowing in it? Well actually, you want your rowers to be able to handle themselves in weather slightly worse than that because for example a race might go ahead in which the weather might suddenly pick up. So you want your crew not to freak out and to be confidant rowing in as many adverse weather conditions as possible.

Another thing to factor in is, are your crew learning while being out in bad conditions? If they aren't, and the weather is affecting their ability to learn, then they should be brought in, as more beneficial work could be done on rowing machines, or if its fitness that is the focus of the training session, then bike or running would be better. I remember once being out rowing and having a coach refuse to let us come in even though we had to stop every two hundred meters to bail the water out the boat. Nothing beneficial was learned that day and I've seen the same sort of situation happen to other crews too. 

Some coaches think that by forcing their crews out into the worst weather they’ll magically become great at dealing with such conditions. In my opinion exposing your athletes to gradual increases in weather conditions is a technique that should be used, as a person who’s never been out in strong winds in a scull is going to suffer compared to someone who’s been let out in gradually more difficult conditions and has learned to adjust. However being out in snow or rain is not too bad as long as everyone is wearing proper gear to keep warm. This obviously can vary, as in extremely heavy rain or snow, productive things cannot get done.