Punts on the Cam

A punt is a flat-bottomed boat with a square-cut bow, typically used in small rivers and canals. The punter generally stands in the middle, or near the stern, and propels the punt by pushing off the river bed with a pole. Download high resolution version (600x800, 92 KB)Punts on the Cam, probably at Trinity puntyard. ... Download high resolution version (600x800, 92 KB)Punts on the Cam, probably at Trinity puntyard. ... The River Cam is a tributary of the River Great Ouse in the east of England. ... A boat is a watercraft, usually smaller than most ships. ... The word bow has several meanings and two pronunciations, depending on meaning: Rhymes with low A kind of weapon; see bow (weapon). ... For the Second World War frigate class, see River class frigate The Murray River in Australia A waterfall on the Ova da Fedoz, Switzerland A river is a large natural waterway. ... Categories: Water-transport stubs | Canals | Water transport ... For other meanings of the term, see Stern (disambiguation). ...

Punts evolved as small river cargo boats. The square-cut bow gives greater carrying capacity for a given length than a boat of the same beam with a narrow or pointed bow; it also makes the boat very stable, and suitable for carrying passengers. A beam of light is a light ray. ...

Some very small dinghies used as tenders for small sailing yachts have a "punt" shape, which also eases their storage on deck. See Optimist (dinghy) for an example of a sailing punt. Punts may be powered by other than the human force. Air boats are specialized punts used in shallow bodies of water such as the Everglades, and are powered by airplane propellers. Introduction The Optimist is a beginner dinghy with a daggerboard and single sail. ... Airboat. ... An Anhinga perched on the boardwalk railing The Florida Everglades is a subtropical marshland located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, specifically in parts of Monroe, Collier, Palm Beach, Miami-Dade, and Broward counties. ... A propeller can be seen as a rotating fin in water or a wing in air. ...

This article concentrates on the traditional Thames pleasure punt. Length 346 km Elevation of the source 110 m Average discharge  ? m³/s Area watershed 12935 km² Origin Kemble Mouth North Sea Basin countries England This article is about the River Thames in southern England. ...

Punting in England

The pleasure punts in use in England today were first built around 1860 and reached the peak of their popularity in the 1910s. Their use declined in the 1950s and 1960s in proportion to the increase in motor boat traffic on English rivers, but has increased again as the tourist industry has grown in England. Events and trends Science Einsteins theory of general relativity Max von Laue discovers the diffraction of x-rays by crystals Alfred Wegener puts forward his theory of continental drift War, peace and politics Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary leads to World War I October Revolution in... Millennia: 1st millennium - 2nd millennium - 3rd millennium Events and trends Technology United States tests the first fusion bomb. ... Events and trends The 1960s was a turbulent decade of change around the world. ... A tourist boat travels the River Seine in Paris, France Tourism can be defined as the act of travel for the purpose of recreation, and the provision of services for this act. ... Royal motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area  - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population  - Total (2001)  - Density Ranked 1st UK 49,138,831 377/km² Religion...

Punting is a popular leisure activity on the rivers of several well-known tourist destinations: there are commercial organizations that offer punts for hire on the Avon in Bath, the Cam in Cambridge, the Cherwell & Isis in Oxford, at Stratford-on-Avon, and on the lower Thames near Sunbury. A small number of private punts are also registered on these rivers, especially by the colleges in Oxford and Cambridge. There is also an album by Blur called Leisure. ... The Avon Gorge and Clifton Suspension Bridge The River Avon is a river in the south west of England. ... Palladian Pulteney Bridge and the weir at Bath Bath is a city in southwest England, most famous for its baths fed by three hot springs. ... The River Cam is a tributary of the River Great Ouse in the east of England. ... The city of Cambridge is an old English university town and the regional centre of the county of Cambridgeshire. ... The River Cherwell is a river which flows through the midlands of England. ... Length 346 km Elevation of the source 110 m Average discharge  ? m³/s Area watershed 12935 km² Origin Kemble Mouth North Sea Basin countries England This article is about the River Thames in southern England. ... This article is about the city of Oxford in England. ... Stratford-upon-Avon Stratford-upon-Avon is a town in Warwickshire, England. ... Length 346 km Elevation of the source 110 m Average discharge  ? m³/s Area watershed 12935 km² Origin Kemble Mouth North Sea Basin countries England This article is about the River Thames in southern England. ... Places called Sunbury include: Sunbury, Ohio Sunbury, Pennsylvania Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, England Sunbury, Victoria, Australia The proposed name of Bangor, Maine at the time of its incorporation These should not be confused with places named Sudbury. ...

Punting in Cambridge

Traditional Thames pleasure punts were not introduced to Cambridge until about 1902--1904, but they rapidly became the most popular craft on the river, and today there are probably more punts on the Cam than anywhere else in England. This is partly because the river is shallow and gravelly (which makes it ideal for punting), but mainly because the Cam passes close to many very attractive old college buildings, and goes through the heart of Cambridge town centre. 1902 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1904 is a leap year starting on a Friday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Punting in a crowd

However, the popularity of punting beside the old colleges in Cambridge produces significant congestion on this relatively narrow stretch of the river during the peak tourist season, leading to frequent collisions between inexperienced punters. These collisions are mostly harmless, but can occasionally cause the punter to lose balance and fall into the river, causing rather more amusement to bystanders than to the tourist who may not have a change of clothes. Some tourists may prefer the calmer experience offered by the upper river, known as the Granta, above the weir at Granta Place. Punting in a crowd, on the Cam. ... Punting in a crowd, on the Cam. ...

The tradition in Cambridge is to punt from the till (locally known as the "deck") at the back of the punt. There are some advantages to this: you are less likely to drip on your passengers and it is easier to steer by swinging the pole behind you, but it is not how Thames punts are traditionally propelled, nor was the till originally designed for standing on. Photographs of punting on the Backs in 1910 show that the practice was well established by then; according to an old Cambridge boat man, interviewed in the 1970s, the practice was started by women anxious to show off their ankles. 1910 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Events and trends Although in the United States and in many other Western societies the 1970s are often seen as a period of transition between the turbulent 1960s and the more conservative 1980s and 1990s, many of the trends that are associated widely with the Sixties, from the Sexual Revolution...

Punting in Oxford

Except in the immediate vicinity of Magdalen Bridge, punting in Oxford is a surprisingly quiet and rural experience. Most of the punting is done on the River Cherwell, which flows through Oxford's protected green belt of fields and woods for the last few miles before it joins the Thames just south-east of Christ Church Meadow. Unfortunately this tranquility comes at a price, for the Cherwell is both deep and muddy. Cherwell poles are 16 feet long (4.9m) to allow for the deepest hollows, so they are harder to handle; while the muddy patches cling tenaciously to the pole's shoe at the most embarassing moments. For other uses of the word Greenbelt, see Greenbelt (disambiguation). ... Christ Church Meadow is a famous water meadow, and popular walking and picnic spot in Oxford, England. ...

Punting on the Isis itself (as the Thames is called locally) is often less enjoyable, mainly because of the competition from eights and sculls and motor boats on the larger river. The very best punting to be had in Oxford is on the Isis alongside Port Meadow to the west of the town; this stretch of river is both shallow and gravelly, as well as being very attractive and well supplied with pubs, such as The Trout Inn, Wolvercote where some of the Inspector Morse dramas were filmed. Unfortunately, Port Meadow is a long way from any commercial punting stations. (As of 2000). A coxless pair, sweep-oar rowing to the left of the photo; the bowside rower (or the starboard one, although the British term applied on this occasion) is actually rowing from aft rather than being closer to the bow than his partner. ... Were you looking for Morse code? Detective Chief Inspector Endeavour Morse is a fictional character, who features in a series of thirteen detective novels by British author Colin Dexter. ... This article is in need of attention. ...

The tradition at Oxford is to punt from inside the boat rather than from on top of the till (or "box" as it tends to be called in Oxford) and to propel the punt backwards. In fact most Oxford punters (incorrectly) regard the box as the bow of the boat

Punting elsewhere in England

In the Roman spa town of Bath, it is possible to punt on the Avon from the town centre. The river however is deep and shared with large motor vessels. The puntable stretch of river also runs along side Brunel's Great Western Railway line. Palladian Pulteney Bridge and the weir at Bath Bath is a city in southwest England, most famous for its baths fed by three hot springs. ... Brunel before the launching of the Great Eastern Isambard Kingdom Brunel (April 9, 1806–September 15, 1859) was a British engineer, noted for the creation of the Great Western Railway and a series of famous steamships. ...

Punting is possible on most of the Thames above the tidal limit at Teddington; even in places where the river is broad it is often surprisingly shallow. Commercial punts have been available for hire near Sunbury in recent times. Teddington is a place in London, England in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. ... Places called Sunbury include: Sunbury, Ohio Sunbury, Pennsylvania Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, England Sunbury, Victoria, Australia The proposed name of Bangor, Maine at the time of its incorporation These should not be confused with places named Sudbury. ...

Punt Construction

Traditional river punts are still made in England, mainly to supply the tourist trade in Oxford and Cambridge. The construction material of choice is wood. Fibreglass and other synthetic materials have been tried, but the resulting boats are rarely stiff enough to be easy to use. The sides, the treads, and the ends (known as "huffs") and the "till" are normally made of hardwood such as mahogany. The bottom is made of softwood, such as deal and may be replaced several times during the life of a particular boat. There is a disputed proposal to merge this article with glass-reinforced plastic. ... Genera and Species Entandophragma - Utile or African Mahogany Guarea - Pink Mahogany Khaya - Ivory Coast Mahogany - Senegal Mahogany Swietenia - Honduras Mahogany - West Indian Mahogany Toona - Indian Mahogany - Chinese Mahogany This article is about the trees in the family Meliaceae. ... In cryptography, DEAL (Data Encryption Algorithm with Larger blocks) is a block cipher derived from the Data Encryption Standard (DES). ...

A traditional punt is about 24 feet (7.5m) long and 3 feet (1m) wide, and about 18 inches (0.5m) deep. Even fully laden, a punt rarely draws more than a few inches. Both the bow and the stern are cut square, with a long shallow "swim". This means that the underside of the boat slopes very gently at the front and the back. The word bow has several meanings and two pronunciations, depending on meaning: Rhymes with low A kind of weapon; see bow (weapon). ... For other meanings of the term, see Stern (disambiguation). ...

The punt will be made with faily narrow, but long, planks stretching fore and aft, attached to the flat sides, and strengthend with 4 inch (10 cm) cross planks every 1 foot or so. These cross planks are called "treads" and they are attached to the sides with small knees. At the back of the boat, the punt will be strengthened with a box or short deck called a "till" which extends some six feet (2m) back from the stern. This box is normally closed in and provides additional buoyancy as well as rotational strength. Human anatomy In human anatomy, the knee joint is a complex, compound, condyloid variety of a synovial joint. ... In physics, buoyancy is an upward force on an object immersed in a fluid (i. ...

The diagram above shows a punt without seats. The seats are usually just a simple board fitting against blocks on the sides, with cushions. The gaps between the treads are normally fitted with gratings to allow the passengers to keep their feet dry.

Both smaller and wider punts are made. Extra large and wide punts may be seen in Cambridge, where many are used as water-bourne tourist vehicles. Single seater Thames punts were normally made only 2 feet wide, and somewhat shorter than a standard punt; very few of these are still afloat. Racing punts, which used to be popular on the Thames, were normally built just 1 foot wide.

Punt poles

A punt pole differs from the Fenland "quant" in that it does not have a cross piece at the top. Poles for pleasure punts are normally made of spruce, or aluminium. The latter are lighter and easier to use, but they make an unpleasant clanging noise on the side of the punt. The pole will be about 12 feet (4m) to 16 feet (5m) long. In both Oxford and Cambridge long 16ft poles tend to be used exclusively. Fenland is a local government district in Cambridgeshire, England. ... A quant (quant pole) is a pole used to propel a barge (barge pole) or punt through water. ... Species About 35; see text. ... General Name, Symbol, Number aluminium, Al, 13 Chemical series poor metals Group, Period, Block 13 (IIIA), 3, p Density, Hardness 2700 kg/m3, 2. ...

The bottom of the pole is fitted with a metal "shoe". This is generally a rounded lump of metal to protect the end. It is sometimes made in the shape of a swallow tail.

Punting technique

Punting is notoriously harder than it looks. Punting technique is best learned by watching a competent punter, and then extensive hands-on practice on different stretches of river. Novice punters should expect to fall in more than once. Alternatively a student (Cambridge) or an undergraduate (Oxford) can be employed to do the punting. Etymologically derived through Middle English from the Latin second-type conjugation verb stŭdērĕ, which means to direct ones zeal at; hence a student is one who directs zeal at a subject. ... In some educational systems, an undergraduate is a post-secondary student pursuing a Bachelors degree. ...

The orthodox position to stand is at the back of the boat, just in front of the till, and to punt from the side. Left handers should stand on the starboard side with the left leg forward, right handers should stand on the port side with the right leg forward. The leading foot should be placed against one of the knees, and should not move as you punt. The back foot should move backwards and forwards as you make each stroke. Starboard is the nautical term (used on boats and ships) that refers to the right side of a vessel, as perceived by a person facing forward (i. ... Port is the nautical term (used on boats and ships) that refers to the left side of a ship, as perceived by a person facing towards the bow (the front of the vessel). ...

As noted above, however, different traditions have grown up in Oxford and Cambridge. The Oxford position is closer to the orthodox except that nearly everyone in Oxford punts left-handed. Since the rivers in both towns are narrow and often crowded, there is little opportunity for punting "at full pressure", so the variations in stance are of little importance. The experienced punter who does have the opportunity of a clear river or who is planning a long day trip (such as Magdalen Bridge to Islip) is recommended to try the orthodox position for themselves.

Hazards for the novice

On your first outing in a punt you should observe the local tradition on where to stand. In Cambridge the punter should balance on the flat wooden platform at the stern, whereas in Oxford the correct position is to stand inside the punt near the bow, and to punt backwards with the box at the front. Failure to observe local tradition in either place may lead to one's being "accidentally" knocked in.

A naïve attempt at propulsion by pushing with the pole against the mud at the bottom of the river is likely to make the punt revolve gently, or head constantly into one of the banks (generally the more bushy bank). With luck, numerous spectators will be present on bridges and banks and will find your efforts greatly amusing; consumption of a moderate amount of alcohol beforehand will increase your confidence and sense of accomplishment, regardless of the actual merit of your performance.

If your previous experience of boating includes canoeing or kayaking, don't be ashamed of paddling the boat with your pole. At least you won't get it stuck in the mud. Canoeing is the recreational or sporting activity of paddling a canoe or kayak. ... Kayaking is the use of a kayak for sport or recreation. ...

The next technique is to use the pole as a rudder; let it trail in the water behind the punt and move it left or right to steer. Owing to the length of this rudder, this allows quite large changes in direction, useful if you are about to collide. The trouble with doing this is that you can't push at the same time, so your pace down the river may be quite slow.

A faster method, requiring more skill, strength, and judgment, is to steer as you shove. To turn away from the side you are punting from, drop pole slightly away from the punt and pull your feet towards it as you shove. To turn towards the side you are punting from, drop the pole slightly under the punt and lever it gently against the side of the punt. The generated torque should rotate the punt, probably more than you were expecting. This article is about the physical concept. ...

Once you have got the hang of it, you may find that the punt begins to move along quite quickly. This is the moment to avoid getting the pole stuck in a muddy stretch of river. If your pole does get stuck, you should not attempt to hang on to it. Let go immediately! Leave the pole sticking in the mud, and use the paddle (you did get a paddle didn't you?) to get back to the pole in order to pull it out. If you don't let go of the pole, the punt will go on without you, and much mirth will ensue.

One particularly challenging aspect of punting is propelling the boat underneath a wide bridge. You will need give a good shove off the bottom just before going under the bridge; if you are too late, the pole will not fit under the bridge and you will have to let go of it (or get wet); if you shove too early, the boat will slow down and stop underneath the bridge. You find it difficult to continue punting at this point. If no one is looking you can paddle or push of the bridge, but this is considered cheating by many.

If you are punting on a leafy stretch of river, you may find your punt magnetically attracted to overhanging bushes and tree branches. It is generally considered polite to warn your passengers to duck before the approaching twigs hit them in the back of the head. You may need to pretend that you have suddenly developed an interest in bird watching.

The most annoying hazard of all for the novice is the helpful passenger; if they confine themselves to constructive criticism, count yourself lucky. Do not under any circumstances allow them to start helping you with the spare paddle. A quick smack on the water with the pole beside the passenger is normally effective in preventing this type of occurence.

Advanced techniques

• Use half strokes (with the pole at 45°) to get going.
• Don't push the pole down, just let it drop.
• Don't "climb the pole" as you shove, push down and away in one movement.
• There is no need to use the pole as a rudder except for manuoevers close to the bank …
• … but don't be ashamed to do so when it's useful.
• Stand to one side of the punt, so that it tips up slightly on that side. This makes a slight keel under the boat and helps to keep it in a straight line.
• Don't grip the pole too hard. Just hold it lightly. This improves your technique.
• Stand up and relax. This also improves your technique.
• Learn to punt one-handed.

A keel is a large beam around which the hull of a ship is built. ...

Bridge Hopping

For the more adventurous, another aspect of punting is known as "bridge hopping". On approaching the bridge the hopper stands in the bow facing forward ready to leap out of the punt and grab on to the bridge. As the punt moves under the bridge the hopper rushes to the other side, and leaps back in. (According to some traditions, if the hopper is too slow to leap back into the punt before it passes, he/she is honour-bound to leap off the bridge anyway.) Hazards include injury to passengers as the hopper leaps back into the boat as well as awkward landings both in and out of the boat. Bridge hopping is practised at the hopper's own risk and is best practised away from colleges where porters can become somewhat irate.

Pole picking

Some of the bridges on the Backs in Cambridge are low enough to allow someone leaning on the parapet to reach the top of the punter's pole if it comes near enough. Idle undergraduates have been known to amuse themselves by standing on the bridges, watching for an unwary punter, and snatching his pole as he emerges from under the bridge. The competent punter can avoid being picked by making a half shove and keeping the upper end of the pole well away from the parapet. Noisy merriment on a bridge ahead may signify the presence of pole pickers.

Reference

• Robert Thurston Rivington, Punting: Its History and Techniques, privately published, 1982. ISBN 0950804525 (hardcover), ISBN 0950804517 (softcover). Approx 250pp. Contents: Punts and Punting; Punting on the Thames 1880--1918; Punting on the Thames from 1918; Dongola racing; Punting at Oxford until 1900; Punting at Oxford from 1900; Punting at Cambridge; Techniques of punting; Safety in punting; Punt racing; Appendices; Index.

• Robert Thurston Rivington, Punts and Punting, privately published, 1983. ISBN 0950804509 (softcover), 32pp. Some extracts from the larger book, with many illustrations.