Canal jousting brings red and blue rowing boats alongside one another beneath a bridge. Two competitors stand on raised stern platforms above the green canal water. One extends a padded lance toward the other's shield while the second holds his own lance upright. The rowers and crossing oars give the encounter a larger rhythm than the moment between the two people alone.

A bridge-side viewpoint keeps the boats and their wakes within the same composition. Striped awnings and the quay establish a public gathering, while plain white clothing makes the different roles easy to read against the colored hulls. The photograph holds the instant of sporting contact without losing the town around it. Water, timber and the repeated movement of the oars turn a narrow stretch of canal into a temporary arena.