Rems (oars) and escàlems

What is

The oar: a long piece of wood with a handle at one end and a blade at the other that beats the water from inside the boat (DCVB). In Mallorca the pastera, the bot and the llanxa felanitxera move, and the llaüt when there is no wind or to enter port. It is supported by the scale.

How is

• Parts of the rem: mànec or guió (handle), canya (rod), pala (blade). Mallorcan names of the parties: to verify.
• Material: one-piece wood (species to be verified; usually pine or beech in the Mediterranean tradition).
• Escàlem: wooden or iron stake nailed to the gunwale where the oar rests (DCVB). Tolet: metal scale; in Palma it is pronounced tolət.
• Estrop: rope ring that hugs the escalem and the neck of the rem to hold it.
• Length: proportional to the beam of the boat (measurements not verified).

How is fa

Work of the mestre d'aixa, who also makes trees, antennas and small parts of the boat ( vela llatina i mestres d'aixa ). It is roughed and tuned by hand to balance the weight between blade and handle (technique to be verified with a master).

Com s'usa

• Vogar: standing or sitting, you push or pull the row supported on the escalem. In the small Mallorcan boats you often row standing up, looking forward (be sure to check).
• Cinglar: a single oar aft, moving it in figure eight (general gesture; Majorcan term and usage to be verified).
• Respect paddle on board the llaüt, for when the wind or the engine fails.

Vocabulary

• rem: row.
• vogar: row.
• barca de rem: one that moves by oars.
• escàlem / escàlam: wooden or iron tolete.
• tolet: metal scale.
• estrop: ring of rope that holds the rem to the escalem.
• regala: plank that finishes the gunwale, where the scale goes.
• pastera: the most humble boat, rowed (in the north, beta).
• batre de rems: put the oars in motion.

History

• 13th century: Llull already compares the progress of the galley "per lo empenyiment dels rems" (DCVB).
• 1467: «tres strops de remolar per redrissar rems» (doc., DCVB).
• 20th century: the motor relegates rowing to small boats and sports.
• 2022: BIC Immaterial of llatina sailing and its trades, which includes riverside carpentry (BOIB).

On veure'n

• Maritime Museum of Mallorca (Palma); Museum of the Sea (Port de Sóller).
• Llanxes felanitxeres and pasteres in Portocolom (Association of Traditional Boats).
• Rowing llaüt regattas (check if they exist in Mallorca; they exist on other Catalan coasts).

Why is it design

• First order lever: the escàlem is the fulcrum; water, resistance.
• One piece: continuous wood, without joints that fail.
• Minimum system: rem + escàlem + estrop, all repairable on the dock with wood and rope.

For the project

• Piece: rem as an interior object (coat rack, floor lamp) made by a mestre d'aixa with wood from the island.
• Atlas: complete rowing vocabulary with a mestre d'aixa (Escola de Mestres d'Aixa del Consell).

Sources

• dcvb.iec.cat/results.asp?Word=rem
• dcvb.iec.cat/results.asp?Word=esc%E0lem
• dcvb.iec.cat/results.asp?Word=tolet
• dcvb.iec.cat/results.asp?Word=estrop
• intranet.caib.es/eboibfront/pdf/ca/2021/52/1085809

Working text from the Disseny Indígena knowledge base, machine-translated from Spanish.

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