Port Townsend June 30, Safety Boats Needed

[hardee]

The Port Townsend Rowing Clubs annual "Rat Island" rowing races are coming up, June 30 and I have been asked to come help and bring some friends. Dave of "Plan C" has taken the lead on this before but he has jumped ship from OB-power to armstrong power and will be one of the competitors this year. SO, come one, come all, (Well we really need about 5 boats +/- ---oh no minus), for the safety boat service, and we need about a hundred or so to come out and cheer Dave on.

The mechanic of the day: Sat June 30. C-Dorys meet 0830 on the beach at Port Townsend Marine Science Center (dock). Racer meeting at 0900. Race begins at 1000, and will last until the last rower is in. That is around noon. I don't have confirmation yet but there has been a lunch provided for Skipper and crew after the race.

There are lots of possibilities for the weekend or the day. it is a good chance to do a bit of community service with your boat, and it is a chance to get together on the water. Now that is hard to beat, good fun, a good job and time on the water.

We have 2 weeks to have it all down pat, so check your social calendar and your project list and put this one on that one and see you there.

Harvey
SleepyC

[ddenver]

Good morning Harvey! Hope all is well with you.

I will tentatively sign up as crew since I am already scheduled to be out of town that prior week (scheduled to be flying back into SEA afternoon of 6/29) and we have our boat in Pleasant Harbor Marina for a few months during the summer so I will not have time to retrieve it and head to PT (either on the water or by trailer).

Since I will be getting home late after being out of town for a week, I will have little prep time as well as being sleep deprived (I never sleep well in hotels) so would be better served assisting others then trying to get our boat up there.

Hope others take up the call and can be around to assist too.

BTW, you better be planning to head over to La Conner for the July 20th weekend..... no "work schedule" excuses allowed!

Take care,
Dan, Tanya, and Hannah

[DaveS]

Good Morning Harvey,
Do to previously scheduled events, I'll be unable to assist that weekend. For those that are contemplating involvement in this event, I highly recommend it. It is a fun purposeful event.

[hardee]

Thanks Dave. We will miss you. Must be tough being retired. Good thing you had all those years of dealing with crisis to build your strength and stamina. That should serve you well in you new occupation

Look forward to seeing you on the water again somewhere.

Harvey
SleepyC

[hardee]

Bringing this back up. Don't have too long to go until it's here.

This can be a fun day with good overnight options, (Mystery Bay State Park or Either of the PT marinas) and good food options to (Breakfast at Sea-J's or Fish and Chips there unless you prefer the milkshakes. Great local flavor(s).

For some of you local, new folks this is an easy day. And there won't be a test at the end of the day, usually just lunch.

Harvey
SleepyC

[localboy]

Sorry, Harvey. That's a work day for me...I just looked on the schedule.

[hardee]

Hey Mark, Just tell the boss that the kid in you wants to take off and play hookie

Think the Captain will go for that. (Could offer them a boat ride ah or would that be aaaaaahhh bribery.

Glad you at least looked.

Harvey
SleepyC

[hardee]

Back to the top. Hoping we can still get a couple more C-Dory's into the fleet.

How about some more boats from PT, Sequim, Kingston, and around the peninsulas. I know there are a few more boats out there that need to run once in a while. Hey, no pressure, just sayin

It's fun and a chance for a little community involvement/service and C-Dory exposure.

Thanks for your patience and support,

(PM me if you have any questions.)

Harvey
SleepyC

[hardee]

No previous experience required.

Harvey
SleepyC

[starcrafttom]

not ingoring you Harvey its just that we are booked up that weekend. Susan is headed to fiji for week and I'm working plus dropping her off at the airport. Are you coming to La conner?

[hardee]

Hi Tom.

Can I go and carry Susan's suitcase

I hope so ---- (to both your question and mine )

Harvey
SleepyC

[hardee]

Update on the PT Rowing Club races. (AKA Rat Island Roundabout)

The "Kitchen Tent" will be on the beach , north of the:

Port Townsend Marine Science Center
532 Battery Way
Port Townsend, WA 98368

(360) 385-5582



There is dock space (limited) at the Marine Science Center, and at the launch ramp there. The tide will be rising, after a low at 0734 of a minus one point six at 0734, (tide info provided by race officials.)

The Safety Skippers meeting will be at 0830 at the Kitchen Tent, where the racer's meeting (0915) will be too. As soon as that meeting is over, there will be an early start for the stand-up paddlers and then the regular racers will start at 1000.

We will have 3 C-Dory boats, 2 - 22 Cruisers and 1 TomCat 255 scheduled. There will be at least 3 - 4 other boats available for the morning.

We are looking forward to a good, safe time. Thanks to Barry and Patty on C-Cakes, Roger and Janet on Dreamer for coming onboard and to Steve Chapin of the Port Townsend Rowing Club, for providing the opportunity to do some community service and have fun too.

Harvey
SleepyC

[starcrafttom]

Sorry to miss this. I had a great time last year and I felt that we provided a service to the rowers. Several were off course towards the end. I hope they have better weather this year with no fog.

[hardee]

Thanks for the good hopes Tom. And thanks to Barry and Patti on C-Cakes, Roger and Janet on Dreamer, and Dan D from C-Renity for being there to enjoy the "navigation by instrument" aka "INR" crossing from Mystery Bay to the marine science dock. Normally a 25 minute run, took just over an hour with visibility ranging from about 100 feet to less than half a mile. We didn't hold up the race start because it was delayed due to weather (FOG), and we did have a good time. No rain until after, and nobody got lost. the fastest team in was there in a full 1/4 the time of the slowest. Different strokes for different folks. The fastest was a pretty well tuned team of 9, and the slowest was a Stand Up Paddle boarder who just would not quit. One of the "alternative" vessels, a home built peddle boat running with a bicycle type crank, a transmission, and a driveshaft spinning a prop that looked like a one foot ruler, made of stainless steel with some twists in it had a mechanical breakdown and had to be towed in to shore. The peddler came on board because he was getting very cold, so there was one race who did not finish under his own power.

The start was delayed due to fog, and the fog was rolling in, out, up and down, but when it cleared enough to see the Trees on Indian Island, the race was on. In the time it took for the paddlers to get across PT bay, the fog moved back in, so dense they could not see Rat island, an d sometimes not even the Navy crane or the wildlife stand which marked the opposite ends of the entry to the channel around Rat island. Even with the fog and seriously decreased visibility, no one got lost, run into or over.
Communication with the Washington State ferries went well and cooperation from them was exemplary.

Besides the C-Dory's there were 3 inflatables, crewed by a group of "kids" learning Sea Safety and Search and Rescue; a program run under the direction of the Wooden Boat School I was told. Something like Explorer Scouts or Sea Scouts, but different in some ways.

Everyone got home safe sound and reportedly had a good time. We had a nice quiet evening at Mystery Bay SP dock (and I might add, and super supper) thanks to the C-Cakes and Dreamer staff. You all are great. Thanks Dan, for riding along, and helping with the tow. See you all again next year.

Harvey
SleepyC