| Evolution of the Forcola |
 |
The craftsmen who made forcole were, and still are, the same who make oars: remèri. They formed a corporation in 1307 and, as their name indicates, they were more important for the construction of the thousands of oars required by the Serene Republic, than for the construction of fórcole. These were obtained from pieces of wood left over from boatbuilding and were very simple: in the XVI century the fórcola was a a flat board with one or two semicircular cuts (morsi) on which the oars rested.
Vittore Carpaccio
|
 |
In the following
cetury the fórcole, although remaining flat, began to increase in
thickness and lean forwards; the thickness allowing the oar to row more
efficiently and the fórcole to obtain its sculptural form.
Girolamo Forabosco
|
 |
In
the XVIII century we have the first testimony of the sanca: the sharp
outward curve which greatly increases the maneuverability of the boat. The
form becomes increasingly complicated and three-dimensional so that it becomes
the point of union between the boat and the ergonomic requirements of the
oarsman.
Giandomenico Tiepolo
|
 |
Today the principal resting point of the oar, the morso, is positioned so as to optimize rowing, whatever the shape of the boat. The organic form of the fórcola can 'reach out' so that the morso is moved away from the side of the boat thus increasing leverage and therefore propulsion. The evolution in rowing techniques means that the weight carried by the boat has shifted towards the bow, so now fórcole used for regattas 'stretch' forwards.
Bow Fórcola for regatta for mascàreta. Photo: Sergio Sutto. |
 |
Saverio
Pastor, Dorsoduro 341, Fondamenta Soranzo, 30123 Venezia, Italy - tel: ++39 041 5225699 e-mail: |
