OK, kids, what's wrong with this picture? I only had my lifejacket off for a few moments while I was changing clothes, honest. Safety concerns aside: In the afternoon, the wind dropped to nothing, so I decided to check out the oars. At 6.5ft, they were a bit short (should have been about 9.5ft) but they did work. I could row at about 1.9 to 2mph - which was much better than floating at 1mph.