re floating oars

Dear All,
If instead of a notch in your transom you use a vertical thole pin
about 12 inches high you can run a line from the top of the thole pin
to the handle of the oar. This will keep it from floating to the
surface and relieve you of the task of keeping the oar oriented in
three dimensions which is otherwise a two hand operation. The oar is
lashed to the thole pin allowing it to pivot for sculling or steering
just as it would in a standard thole pin configuration on the side for
rowing.

jeremy