Don't just close the Gate, Lock it!

When placing the oar into the oarlock it is important to rowers (and coxswains) to properly secure the gate. An understanding of how the oarlock gate is designed is needed to make sure you are not just closing the gate but actually locking it. Look at the following diagrams.

Diagram #1: The gate is open

Diagram #2: Gate is closing but not all the way down

Diagram #3: Gate is all of the way down, but not screwed in yet.
Note the arrow showing the threaded bolt in the center of the barrel.

Diagram #4: Gate is properly screwed in. Note the very small
gap on the bottom and the threaded bolt coming out of the knurled plastic nut.

So what can go wrong? Suppose the rower started to screw in the knurled nut at diagram #2. The gate might seem to be secured but it definitely won't be, even if the knurled nut is very tight. When rowing, any excess force on the oar may cause the shaft to pop up and break open the gate. The result is that the oar will jump out of the oarlock and the boat will stop. It is very difficult to properly place the oar back into the oarlock while afloat, especially if the boat is in the middle of a race (even a fun race like a 300 m coxswain's race!)