George, Harris, and J. argue about who will tow their boat on their trip to Reading, with J. eventually agreeing to take the physically demanding job. J. discusses different rowing techniques like punting, which is hazardous for beginners. He recounts stories of friends having mishaps while punting, including one who stepped off the boat and was left clinging to the pole. J. also tells of mistakenly mocking a stranger who was struggling to control his boat. The chapter concludes with J. and a friend getting their sail tangled and then breaking their oars while trying to row back after running aground, requiring them to be towed.
3. George, Harris, and J. argue about who will tow the boat, the most physically demanding job by far. They eventually decide to row to Reading, at which point J. will tow for a while. We learn that J. learned to row by joining a club, but that George had some trouble learning. The first time he went out, with a group of friends on a trip to Kew, the coxswain did not know how to call out directions and they had great trouble navigating.
4. J. lists the different types of rowing, as well as the pitfalls that novices face when they attempt to row for the first time. He discusses punting, a type of rowing where the passenger stands up in the boat and propels it along using a long pole that is pushed against the riverbed. Punting is hazardous for beginners; J. describes a friend who was not paying attention and stepped off the boat, leaving himself clinging to the pole in the middle of the river as the boat drifted away.
5. On another occasion, J. and his friends noticed an amateur punter who could not keep control of his boat. Thinking it was someone they knew, they mercilessly mocked him until realizing that the man was actually a stranger. Harris once had a similar experience, when a stranger thought he was a friend and began rough housing with him, holding his head under water.
6. J. concludes the chapter with a final anecdote about sailing on the river with his friend Hector. The men had trouble raising the sail, which was very tangled. They eventually ran the boat aground and decided to row back. However, they broke the oars in the process, and had to be towed.