Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically attached to the boat, and the rower drives the oar like a lever, exerting force in the same direction as the boat's travel; while paddles are completely hand-held and have no attachment to the boat, and are driven like a cantilever, exerting force opposite to the intended direction of the boat.
A rowing dinghy in use
Typical Finnish rowing boats on the shore of Palokkajärvi, Jyväskylä
Three members of a student rowing club in a coxed pair in the Amstel River
Woman rowing sampan with her feet in Ninh Bình Province of northern Vietnam
An oar is an implement used for water-borne propulsion. Oars have a flat blade at one end. Rowers grasp the oar at the other end.
Traditional wooden oars
A pair of carbon fibre sculling oars used for sport rowing
Trophy oars of the seven founding member clubs of the Remenham Club