Team Northern Atlantic 2011

I learned what I found to be an interesting bit of trivia tonight.  The British ‘man-of-war’ war ship required around 100 acres of timber to make – that’s over 3000 oak trees; trees which took 80-100 years to grow to maturity.  That is pretty amazing.  Not surprisingly, the British had to import the bulk of this timber lest they deplete the timber reserves on their own tiny island.

I found a link to a July 4th, 1840, edition of ‘The Saturday Magazine’ containing an article on British ‘man-o-war’ vessels:  http://tinyurl.com/d8b9b7.  This description of the Sr. George fighting vessel helps one to understand why Great Britain dominated the high seas for so long.

Tonight I’ve plotted a rough course across the Chsapeake Bay from Reedville, VA, to Sanford, VA, on the Eastern Shore of Virginia.  Right now, the plan is to camp at Chesapeake Bay Resort Campsite on a Friday night in Reedville, VA.  Early Saturday morning, I will set out across the Bay, through the middle of Tangier Island where I’ll set a course up to Little Fox Island and then up towards Saxis.  I’ll row over the top of Saxis and up to the mouth of the Pocomoke River to Tall Pines Campsite in Sanford, VA, where I will camp Saturday morning.  Sunday morning, I’ll do the whole thing in reverse.  It should be a mini ‘epic adventure,’ as they say.

Chart Room

I have plotted 9 waypoints thus far on NOAA Chart 12225, with a total estimated distance of 24.6nm from Reedville, VA (near Smith Point Lighthouse), over to the buoy near Saxis vis-a-vis the middle of Tangier Island.  Rowing across the Chesapeake Bay and back will give me a good feel for what it might be like to row an Ocean, where one is apt to cover these distances, and more, on a daily basis for up to around 90 or more days.  I am hoping to average 3-4 knots per hour in my boat (still TBD), so the route across, one way, should take between 6 to 8 hours.  All imminently doable – I’ll just be hurting at work the following Monday.  As I am still in my USPS Boating Safety Course, I hope to run my charted path by my instructors tomorrow night to see if they have any suggestions.

All I need now is a boat!  Yesterday, I bought a boat trailer from a really nice guy down in Woodstock, VA.  I have my eye on a boat, and hope to pick it up near Cape Cod, MA, next weekend.  The trailer I bought is an EZ Loader 14_17.  Although used, it’s still in pretty good condition, so if the boat fits, I should be golden.

EZLoader Boat Trailer 14_17

Lowell’s Boat shop is trying to earn a grant from American Express to help keep them in operation.  If so inclined, and if you’re in to classic wooden boats, you can vote for them to receive this grant:

http://www.lowellsboatshop.com/index.html

Last Sunday I met-up with some of the folks associated with the Wave Rowers club near the Bay Bridge on the Maryland side of the Chesapeake Bay.

A few of the members brought a good variety of different open water rowing craft, including Aldens, Echo, Little River Marine, and others.  I rowed an Echo out to Love Point, where the Chester River opens up into the Chesapeake Bay, and back.

Chester River Row - 4.16nm Total

My initial impressions of the Echo, as an open water rowing craft, were: 1.) I did not think it tracked very well, and 2.) I was impressed with the self-bailer – I had a bunch of water in my foot well when I launched, but it quickly went out the self-bailer when I got some speed going.

I then hopped in an Alden Star for a quick spin and really liked it.  It felt stiff and fast, and the keel helped it keep it’s track very well.  It does not come with a self-bailer, though, so I was dubious of rowing this boat in rough water.  It seems like it relies on water sloshing itself out of the foot well, which I find a bit annoying.  Out of the boats I tried, this one felt the most like a true racing boat.

Finally, another Waver Rower member and I jumped into a Heritage 18 Dory from Little River Marine.  I could definitely feel safe in big water in this boat.  However, I sat in the bow rowing position and could feel the bow porpoiseing with each stroke we took.  It was not bad, it just felt strange to be dipping into the waves instead of rising above them.  In addition, the rowing tracks extend 3 or more inches over the fixed rowing seats and you could feel them bend and flex when your seat went near the end of the tracks.  It’s also possible I could stand to lose a few pounds…All a bit unnerving.  All-in-all, however, a nice boat.

In sum, all of these boats were tried on relatively calm waters, and when the wind kicked-up to near 12 knots later in the afternoon, everyone straggled in to the beach.  I was too tired at that point to try these boats in rougher water, but I wish I had now.  Personally, I would not take any of these boats across the Chesapeake Bay (at some of her wider points).  Nothing against any of them, just a personal preference.  I would feel safest in the Heritage 18 Dory for an across-the-Bay trip, but I think rowing with a partner would be a requirement in that boat due to the way she trims, etc.  Moreover, all of these boats had fiberglass hulls.  The open water purist in me is wanting to experience this type of rowing in a classic wooden boat.  For me, a classic wooden rowing boat is sort of feng shui for open water rowing zen.

I was finally able to bring myself to finish reading Maud Fontenoy’s book, ‘Challenging The Pacific’; this after staring at her pictures in the center of the book for several days   It’s a good book, albeit long on flowery, philosophical writing, but kind of short on technical details.  C’est la vie.  Nevertheless, there were some good quotes in her book including this one:

The charts of the Pacific in my office have begun to mock and challenge me anew.  I hear the siren song of adventure, and I can’t get it out of my head…A wind blows through my dreams, and it carries the tang of salt.  I yearn for the smell of the open sea.  I am drunk with the desire for another voyage.  It’s my instinct – why wait?  ['Challenging The Pacific', pg. 144-145, Maud Fontenoy, (C) 2005 by Editions Robert Laffont]

If you are so inclined, you can follow the progress of the teams participating in the Indian Ocean Race 2009 here: http://www.indianoceanrowingrace09.com/.

I’ve got my money on Simon Prior (solo rower) and James Thysse and Jamie Facer-Childs (Team ‘Oz to Africa’).  Good luck to all!

Here’s a Flickr feed of James and Jamie’s boat, ‘Low Carbon’ (the pair are competing in the Indian Ocean Race starting in approximately one week).  Lots of good angles on the boat to see how she has been equipped.  Not bad for a timber built boat.  I’ve personally vascillated (as I am wont to do) between timber and carbon-kevlar boats.  I think now, however, I do not mind timber boats so much.  There is something to be said for timber boats.  Maybe the ocean will respect you more if you row a boat made of natural materials.

I’m going to be spending two nights a week, for the entire month of April, taking a Boating Safety course through the United States Power Squandron.  I attended the first class last Monday night and feel good about my decision; the cost is neglible but it’s a significant time committment in terms of commute and two hours of class on Monday and Thursday.  I think it will be time well-spent.  I’m hoping to get a good indoctrination on seamanship as well as an introduction to coastal navigation – skills I may well need to lean on when rowing in open water.