Rowing Eight on River Wye, Hereford, Herefordshire, England.
An eight is a rowing boat used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for eight rowers, who propel the boat with sweep oars, and is steered by a coxswain, or `cox`.
Each of the eight rowers has one oar. There are four rowers on the port side rower`s right hand side and four on the starboard side rower`s lefthand side.[1] The cox steers the boat using a rudder and is normally seated at the stern of the boat. Because of the speed of the boat, it is generally considered unsafe to row coxless or to have a bowloader cox.
File:Rowing boat racing 8-man + cox.webm
Coxed eight on the River Severn at Worcester
Racing boats often called `shells` are long, narrow, and broadly semi-circular in cross-section in order to reduce drag to a minimum. Originally made from wood, shells are now almost always made from a composite material usually carbon-fibre reinforced plastic for strength and weight advantages.
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