Came upon this interesting painting by Wilson Hepple
“King’s Meadows Island and Boats on the Tyne”
(early 1900’s) and notice the boat being both rowed at bow
and sculled at the same time at the stern.
Single oar sculling is the art of propelling a boat with an oar over the stern.
”
…sometimes it’s simply not possible to row in the conventional manner.
Sculling is a useful way of moving a loaded dinghy that’s too laden for
you to use both oars. In a sailing dinghy it means you can make headway
even if the boom is too low or furled sails prevent rowing. It’s handy for
making headway up a channel that’s too narrow for a pair of oars,
between moored boats, or in busy harbours where standing up and
looking over your shoulder allows you to see where you’re going.
It’s a useful ‘get you home’ skill in case you break an oar.
Read more about it in:
the Rondout Rower 