Aboard a Maceió ferryboat, Issuma is in the background. Only one oar is used to propel the boat. The motion of the oar takes a while to learn (I spent about twenty minutes learning, at the end of which was just able to move the boat along slowly), and is hard to describe in words. Rowing is always done standing up, to be able to put more force into it. Note the cigarette in his left hand--he has been doing this for years, so he is able to smoke and row at the same time :).