Back to the riverfront for more water festival action – nice sunny day and quite warm by 9am. Radio Australia was doing a water festival broadcast, so visited that briefly first – sounds like quite a good service; if only I had a radio here…..
Australian embassy car at the broadcast - only an old E class sadly
Boat crew city across the river again
Demolished house on the riversideThen it was back to the Tourism Cambodia tent, just to sit in the shade and enjoy the stiff breeze that was again blowing, keeping things cool. The boats started up properly at about 10am, and a bit of comparison revealed three boat classes.
The first is short seated, which has about 22 people in it - mostly side-by-side but with a few single file at either end. At the front is the sweep, sometimes colourfully dressed, who is in charge if somewhat ignored. Then there are lots of paddlers, possibly with one or two people sitting in between them in the middle of the boat, dong the bailing. At the back are 2 steerers.
Boat class 2 is long seated, which seem to generally have between 48 and 58 in the crew (sometimes more). Same basic layout and positions as the short seated, but up to 5 can be single file at the front, again with the sweep at the very front. At the back are at least 4 steerers, notionally 2 per side, but as they are using paddles to steer they can change sides if required. There may also be a guy in the middle of the boat with a loudhailer, passing on the sweep’s instructions to the back half. The long boats also often have a large horizontal wooden pole in the middle, possibly to brace the boat.
For both seated boats, the paddlers paddle while either sitting, or standing with one knee on the seat and the other leg vertical and foot on the boat floor. The single file guys up the front are seated, and back ones almost always stand. IT seems to vary crew by crew – some have all seated, some all standing, and sometimes only a block in the middle stand.
Class 3 is a similar boat to long seated, but each rower has a pole to which the oar is tied. The rowers stand either inside the boat or with both feet on the gunnals (boat edge), and lean into the oar – all looks quite unstable. Crews of 48 seem to be the limit here.
A very few boats also have the traditional Khmer “maiden” up the very front, seated but leaning forward and doing the hand dance thing. These are rare, probably not that many volunteers for the job.
The first is short seated, which has about 22 people in it - mostly side-by-side but with a few single file at either end. At the front is the sweep, sometimes colourfully dressed, who is in charge if somewhat ignored. Then there are lots of paddlers, possibly with one or two people sitting in between them in the middle of the boat, dong the bailing. At the back are 2 steerers.
Boat class 2 is long seated, which seem to generally have between 48 and 58 in the crew (sometimes more). Same basic layout and positions as the short seated, but up to 5 can be single file at the front, again with the sweep at the very front. At the back are at least 4 steerers, notionally 2 per side, but as they are using paddles to steer they can change sides if required. There may also be a guy in the middle of the boat with a loudhailer, passing on the sweep’s instructions to the back half. The long boats also often have a large horizontal wooden pole in the middle, possibly to brace the boat.
For both seated boats, the paddlers paddle while either sitting, or standing with one knee on the seat and the other leg vertical and foot on the boat floor. The single file guys up the front are seated, and back ones almost always stand. IT seems to vary crew by crew – some have all seated, some all standing, and sometimes only a block in the middle stand.
Class 3 is a similar boat to long seated, but each rower has a pole to which the oar is tied. The rowers stand either inside the boat or with both feet on the gunnals (boat edge), and lean into the oar – all looks quite unstable. Crews of 48 seem to be the limit here.
A very few boats also have the traditional Khmer “maiden” up the very front, seated but leaning forward and doing the hand dance thing. These are rare, probably not that many volunteers for the job.
The tourist / local fence
Inside the tourist tent
Short seated boat
Long seated
Short and long
Standing
Seated, with some crew members standing
Boats everywhere
Paddles up
Captain sweep
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