rough water and open water rowing

Our Rough Water Department

One of our most frequently asked questions is, "How will these boats handle a little chop?"

When we are at a show, when the question is asked, we turn and point to the photo below and say, "That's how our boats handle a little chop."

That photo was taken during the Blackburn Challenge, a 20 mile open-ocean race around Cape Anne: from Gloucester, around the Cape, back to Gloucester. To some it looks as if Paul was in trouble, actually, he is winning his class.

Tom Lawler, a long-time rower and the Chair of the Blackburn Challenge Race Committee, came up to our shop to order a boat. When he saw that photo on our wall he put his hand over it and said, "We are so ashamed we let that race go on that day. If we ever have conditions like that again, we are going cancel the race."

Which is all to the good...but we're glad we got that photo. It was taken, by the way, by David Stookey, publisher of Open Water Rowing.

The secret as to why our boats are so seaworthy is .... There is no secret. Put your center of gravity low and the boat will stay upright. The only way you can put your center of gravity low in a canoe is to put your butt on the bottom...and it's not possible to paddle from that position.

This next sequence was taken at the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival on Puget Sound, 50 miles north and west of Seattle. The wind that day was blowing 35 knots on the deck, 60 knots up in the rigging of the big sail boats ....not one of which, you will note, is out on the water. Sensible folk stayed inside, moving nearer the fire and asking for another cappuccino. We asked a few of the hearty folks out looking at boats if they'd like to take a boat out on the water. Almost every person laughed, thinking it was a joke. This brave soul, Mikaya Sequoia, who works at Port Townsend Sails, said yes, she thought she would like to try a boat. She also said that she hadn't rowed for 10 years and had never rowed anything like our boats. We gave her a bit of a rowing lesson on the beach, waited for a good wave and shoved her out. Folks gathered near were shocked that we were putting anyone out...let alone someone with not much experience rowing.

The photos are shown in sequence: when we first put her out, as she gained control of the boat and as she was motoring off.

Of the three photos in the above sequence, we find the third photo to be the most important. In the first two you can't really tell what is going on....in the third photo there is no doubt. It's someone having fun.

Of course, gale force winds don't have to be blowing for you to take your boat out. They make wonderful fishing boats and are ideal boats for youngsters, oldsters and anyone else who would appreciate a light-weight, compact, sea-worthy craft.

May we build one for you?


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