The bluffer's guide to punting

You don't know how to punt? It could be a bit of a problem in the summer... Fortunately, hardly anyone else does either, so you won't look out of place. And the punt committee has come to the rescue with some instructions.

The easy bit - Starting the punt

Stand on the flat platform at the back end of the punt, not in the middle of the low part. There's no real way of steering unless you're at the end of the punt! The closer you stand to the side of the punt the better.

Lift up the pole until it's almost out of the water, and drop it vertically into the water at the side of the punt, close to where the raised platform is joined to the main bit of the punt. Because the pole is made of wood it floats naturally, so you need to lift it right out of the water for it to go all the way down to the bottom when you drop it. The river is never particularly deep (until you reach the forest), and it should go about half way down before hitting rocks or mud. Bear in mind that the closer the pole is to the side of the punt, the less the punt will turn when you push with the pole - ideally the pole should be skimming the edge of the punt as you drop it into the water.

Push it backwards to get the punt going. Unlike most tourists, who push on the pole once and then use it to steer or lift it out of the water, it's best to keep pushing on it as long as possible each time for maximum effect.

The important bit - Steering the punt

When you drop the pole, it's easiest to always do it on the same side. As any engineer will tell you, the centre of gravity of a punt is somewhere near the middle, so if you only push on one side the punt will probably turn a bit as well. Like the tourists, you could try and alternate from side to side, but it won't work very well (it'll just make you hit alternate banks of the river). The solution is to hold the pole in the water after each time you push it, so that it is in the water but not touching the bottom of the river - as shown above. If you push it from side to side in the water, like a rudder, the punt will turn in the opposite direction.

Push it the right way each time, and it cancels out any overall turning effect (If you watch a professional punter, you can sometimes see them doing this). If the punt is at a very strange angle to the river, lift the pole out of the water to do this several times. If you get used to this, you can punt anywhere. There's no need to use the paddle to steer (unless someone from Trinity nicks your punt pole).

Not working?

If the people in the punt sit nearer to the middle (i.e. not at the exact opposite end to the punter) it's much easier to steer (arts students - ask your local engineer about moments of inertia). Similarly, the more crowded the punt, the lower in the water it will float, and the harder it will be to steer it.

More tips

• When you first start, dropping the pole vertically isn't ideal (as when you push it it won't be going in any particular direction). So drop it at a slight angle (i.e. top of the pole pointing forwards) to start with. Later, dropping it vertically is fine as the punt is moving - by the time you get round to pushing it the punt will have moved forward a bit and the pole will already be at a suitable angle.

• Don't hold the pole as it goes down - just let it slide naturally while keeping your fingers in a ring around it (but not actually holding it). If a pole is wet splinters of wood go soft and aren't a problem (though beware if you have a very dry splintery pole).

• In the higher part of the river there's a lot of mud. This requires a slightly different technique, as if you push hard the pole will just get stuck in the mud. Try dropping the pole at a greater angle (i.e. as if you had already pushed on it a bit), and then push gently. Obviously this doesn't make the punt move as fast - but as it also stops the pole becoming completely stuck in the mud you won't lose all that speed while trying dislodge the pole from the riverbed.

• The less you steer the better, as it slows down the punt. Ideally as you drop the pole it is also angled with the top of the pole very slightly pointing away from the punt (so the base goes slightly under the punt). Pushing on it, while it skims the edge of the platform, means the back of the punt wants to turn left, but can't as the pole is in the way, so keeping the punt straight.

• Wear something that won't mind getting wet! Even if you don't fall in, chances are someone will push you in or will have brought a super soaker with them. If you want to look like a really professional punter, you'll have to buy a silly hat, hassle random tourists outside Magdalene, and get used to saying "and here we have Emmanuel College" as you go under the Bridge of Sighs.

[ St John's | St John's Internal Page ]
Site maintained by Aeron Preston for the Punt Society. Last updated April 2008
Copyright © St John's College