There are a lot of good suggestions on this board, from the type of water you first go out on to going with experienced people on a new stretch of river. There are some other resources out there that might do you some good. Hyde puts out a good video - I couldn't find the info. on their website (www.hydeboats.com) but I do have a copy and it is pretty good. You can probably contact them to get a copy. Also there is a good book you can pick up that provides some good reading and tips on rowing. The Amazon.com website for that book is listed below.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/det...ks&n=507846

Good luck and be safe out there!
-Mark