Put the beast together and rowed in street shoes. Bad move. They were loose and I blistered my heel. I knew better. I'd been rowing for a couple of years at the Norfolk VA YMCA and have had similar problems with various shoes.
As a boy, I lived across the street from Red Top, Harvard's camp in Gales Ferry CT where the crew trained for the Yale-Harvard regatta. Topsiders and Converse sneakers were popular around the camp in the '60s but I have no idea what they wore on the water.
From my experiences to date, something that fits like a glove, maybe water shoes of one sort or another. What works for you?
Newbie with chafed heels
Newbie with chafed heels
Dave Hamby