06/18 - 06/19 - Port Townsend Safety Launch

P

Plan C

New member
I am a member of the rowing club in Port Townsend. At the annual meeting last night there was a presentation about a major race that will happen here next summer: the National Open Water Rowing Championship, June 19. On June 18 (Sat) is the annual Rat Island Rowing Regatta (a regional race).

I have done safety launch duty with my C Dory for the last few years at the Regatta, and was asked to do that for theOpen Water race. It occurred to me to wonder if this is something other C Dory folk would like to join in. We could have a flotilla of C Dory safety launches. We could have a C Dory gathering with a functional role in this important race.

A few notes on the Championship: the race will be about 20 miles, with the ideal intention of including some rough water. Folks will come from all over the country, and Canada. The last few events were at Gloucester MA, San Francisco and in Rhode Island.

Any takers?

Dave
 
Dave,
Count me in. I just scheduled all of my vacation days for 2010 and I just happen to be off work from 6/17 to 6/22. That weekend is now "penciled" in my calendar. When it is a definite "go", I'll "ink" it in my calendar.
Do you happen to know if the Lake Stevens Rowing Club is involved in this in any way?
Dave S.
 
Great! I'll be posting any updates over the next few months.

For the regatta, there are club members from a wide area, but I don't know Lake Stevens club rowers, so I can't answer that. I would expect some would be there. That race is 7 miles.

The races will consist of a variety of types of boats - shells (singles to 8's), wherries, kayaks, racing canoes, or any kind of human powered vessel. In terms of competition, it is a race of shells.

The job of the launches is to monitor the course and accompany the vessels. In four years I have not had to rescue anyone, except for the Wooden Boat Foundation's antique launch "Martha", who had an engine problem. She got a tow.

Dave
 
starcrafttom":ocdlcc27 said:
count us in and make sure to keep me posted on the details. Can I fish while following the rowers? the cant get over troll speed right?
Click to expand...

Tom, glad to hear that you are "in". They will actually go faster than your troll speed......however if you have one of them tow you, you can shut your engine off and the added weight of the C-Dory ought to then slow them down to a troll speed and you'll not use any fuel..... :lol:

(Dave, now that I "planted the seed" of these fishermen catching fish without spending money on fuel, you ought to have lots of C-Dory fishermen "signing on"... :mrgreen: )
 
We are planning to be in MN and WI (Apostle Islands, Lake Superior) with the boat for the month of June so will have to miss this one! :sad

Warren
 
Dave -

We are new CD 22 owners and this sounds like fun! Count us in! Our boat is currently at Gold Star Marine getting a camperback done by Anchor Canvas. We'll get her in the water this Spring after getting electronics, etc. installed and the bottom painted.

Please keep us posted.

- Gerry & Cindy Walsh, Port Townsend
 
OK -

#1 - This sounds like a cool event;

#2 - There are already a few folks planning to participate or expressing interest;

#3 - The Cruises and Events list was a little sparse; and,

#4 - This event absolutely belongs on the list.

So, it is now listed on the front page and a signup is in place. Thanks, Dave for inviting us to join in. This is too cool!
 
Thanks, Mike, for starting a list.

We might discuss what the group wants to do for overnight. We can reserve space at Port Hudson, of we could go over to Mystery Bay, by either the state park by the point, or the one in Nordland. Either one has dock space or moorages, or anchoring.

Anchoring off Port Townsend works also.

Preferences?

Dave
 
Dave,
A slip at Point Hudson Marina would be our preference. If I'm not mistaken the facilities there are fairly new and appear to be quite accomodating. Is that where the regatta will be originating?
 
This sounds like a fun event. Count me in.

This post brought back some wonderful memories for me. In 1978 I was living on Shaw Island and two friends of mine thought that they could row around Shaw faster that the first place sailboat in the yearly Shaw Island Classic. The sailboat race circumnavigated Shaw Island with a start and finish in Friday Harbor. I didn't give my friends much of a chance, so I bet them a case of beer that they couldn't come in first. Well, I lost the bet, and the Round Shaw Row was born. It has been raced every year since and I think I have rowed or paddled in 5 or 6 of the races. At 14 miles, it is a bit of a challenge, :smilep so I gave it up back in the 80's. The Round Shaw Row was the first of many human powered races in the area. The group "Sound Rowers" http://www.soundrowers.org/was born from this first race, and they still sponsor many races today. The Rat Island Rowing Regatta is one of these races. In about 1980 I remember rowing in the Great Cross Sound Race, a route that crossed from Aliki Point to Bainbridge, and there were over 250 entrants! Quite a site.

This will be a fun event to participate in, with out having to exert much effort. Thanks for the invite.

Robbi
 
The Open Water race will start and probably finish at the new NW Maritime Center (Wooden Boat Foundation) which is on the bay right next to Point Hudson. Mooring in Port Hudson would be quite convenient.

The Rat Island Regatta starts off the beach by Fort Worden, next to the Marine Science Center, and ends there also. At the end there is a very nice potluck banquet. I believe there might be some dinner post race at the Maritime Ctr. on Sunday, maybe a pay event.

I am very pleased at the response here. We can have a quite impressive presence.

Dave
 
Robbi-

Sounds like you started a lot of frantic flailing around boating activity in your younger years! Wayward youth troublemaker, huh?

See ya' in Seattle!

Joe. :teeth :thup

Robbi":236suxpl said:
This sounds like a fun event. Count me in.

This post brought back some wonderful memories for me. In 1978 I was living on Shaw Island and two friends of mine thought that they could row around Shaw faster that the first place sailboat in the yearly Shaw Island Classic. The sailboat race circumnavigated Shaw Island with a start and finish in Friday Harbor. I didn't give my friends much of a chance, so I bet them a case of beer that they couldn't come in first. Well, I lost the bet, and the Round Shaw Row was born. It has been raced every year since and I think I have rowed or paddled in 5 or 6 of the races. At 14 miles, it is a bit of a challenge, :smilep so I gave it up back in the 80's. The Round Shaw Row was the first of many human powered races in the area. The group "Sound Rowers" http://www.soundrowers.org/was born from this first race, and they still sponsor many races today. The Rat Island Rowing Regatta is one of these races. In about 1980 I remember rowing in the Great Cross Sound Race, a route that crossed from Aliki Point to Bainbridge, and there were over 250 entrants! Quite a site.

This will be a fun event to participate in, with out having to exert much effort. Thanks for the invite.

Robbi
Click to expand...
 
Joe, It is amazing what a bet involving a case of beer can do! :beer :beer

Wayward youth trouble maker? Well, I think it takes one to know one :wink:

See you in Seattle.

Robbi
 
This does sound like fun :!: I have accompanied swimmers in open water in my kayak. I have also acted as a course boundary boat, but am unclear what we will do for these races.

Will we be assigned an area to monitor? I am thinking if we are safety monitors we will need to be outfitted and staffed to potentially pick up and care for rowers in case of an emergency. Is that your understanding?

Thanks in advance for any information :D

Anne Cox
 
I spoke with the race director yesterday. He is quite pleased to have a
C-Dory safety contingent. We discussed a variety of things. One was about water conditions. The race course will be 20 miles, with one leg with the tide currents and one against. Hopefully there will be some waves (to satisfy these hearty rowers). We talked about safety procedures, and rescues. Since in the time I have worked as a safety launch I have not had to rescue anyone (and hopefully that will be the case in this race), I have not gained practical experience.

My thought is that the best plan for rescue is to dump an inflatable into the water with a crewmember aboard, and use that to pull people out of the water, or to approach a craft that someone needs to be rescued from. The inflatable could be still conected by a line back to the C Dory. I envision an ideal crew of three on the safety boat. Rescuees could either be brought aboard or towed to shore.

Also a C Dory with swim platform would be good. Mine doesn't have that.

I'd be interested in hearing ideas from others on this.

Another thing - he proposed we might have a Saturday afternoon running of the course with contestents aboard, if we had enough boats.

We will have plenty of say in how the whole thing works.

Dave
 
Dave,

I just signed up for this. Somehow missed it before, but sure looking forward to a great weekend. This is one of the reasons I had wanted a small, manuverable power boat for: a community service type of project.

We often go over to Mystery Bay, using the state park sticker, and camping for "free" there.

Looks like there are 4 tides/day that weekend, with moderate swings.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
I will need to give an early report to the Open Water Racing committee, so want to check in with you guys. I see the following boats/folks signed up as members. Does this mean at this point you expect to participate? I'm trying to get an idea of what kind of number we will be.

colobear 901
Dreamer
GOYO
hardee
Robbi
rshuman
plus me (Plan C)

I think we should have at least 5, and anything over that is great. We can accept all comers.

Here are the race websites: http://naowrc.wordpress.com/ and http://www.openwaterracing.com/
The race is being named the Townsend Challenge.

Dave
 
Dave,
Somehow I missed signing up, so have now done so. Our daughter will be graduating from Jr. College on Friday night 6/18, which means that I'll have to hustle on Saturday morning in order to get to Port Townsend. Hopefully, I'll make it there in time to be a part of this event.
Dave Safford
 
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