Spot the Deliberate Mistake

Langstone Cutters held a spring regatta today, featuring events such as fetching the bars of silver from Hayling Island, rowing blindfold and this event. To a casual glance it looks as if Gladys and Mabel are rowing home, but look at the coxswains - they are both facing backwards. And indeed both boats are moving away from the slipway to the start line for the rowing backwards race.
I would not have believed how tiring rowing backwards is. Not using the legs must be the explanation, as my arms felt limp at the end and we only went a few hundred metres.
That's me at No3 in Gladys, and we went on to win, not that I am in any way competitive or anything.
Later on, I found myself so far abandoning my life-long aversion to racing, or exertion of any kind, that I volunteered for the Great River Race. What have I commited myself to?
(Thanks to Paul Zink for taking the picture)