Manchester Race, or not

June 9, 2001

Ok, I made a mistake and took the ferry from West Seattle to Southworth. It seemed like a good idea at the time, and would supposedly save me a bit of driving and not take any more time. Well, it did save on the miles, but I arrived at Manchester State Park only moments before the pre-race meeting was to occur.

Unfortunately this was also the moment when I discovered that there was no way to launch my trailered Escapade at the park. The thoughtful park developers had placed some nice, big driftwood logs along the high water marks at the beach, which effectively prevented any trailered boats from making it to the water. Rats!

I rushed back to the nearby town of Manchester where I had noticed what appeared to be a boat ramp. Recognizing that there was no way I could possibly launch my boat and get back via water to the start of the race at the park, I hurried nonetheless. The announcement for the race included the course, which showed that the boats should all pass by this area en route to Blake Island. If I could get out into the channel, then at least
I could get some good action shots of the racers as they went by. In addition, I could make my way around Blake Island and get in some exercise for the day.

After a couple of false launches, where I forgot to remove the boat tie downs, I finally put my Escapade into the water. My technique is pretty simple. Attach a long rope to the bow, and tie it to the roof rack on my car. Back the car and trailer down the ramp until they are close to the water's edge. Release the winch rope from the bow of the boat. Back the trailer into the water until the hitch is now about at the water's edge, and stop with a sudden jerk. The Escapade normally slides off the trailer into the water, and I then pull forward slightly to make sure that a larger wave doesn't reach the car. I then take the long rope and walk onto the dock and tie up the Escapade, and go back to the car and park it in the lot. It is pretty simple and straightforward for one
person to handle.

Into the boat, and off I went in search of the Rowers.

The wind this morning was pretty steady and from the SSW at about 20 to 25 mph. This created some fairly nice wave action, mostly in the 1 to 2 foot range. As I went further east, the waves grew to about 3 feet, and it looked like some rain was headed over part of the 10 mile course.

Looking at my watch I realized that the race must have started, so I began looking ahead and behind for signs of the racers.

I decided that one way or another the racers were going around Blake Island, so that is where I headed. The wind and waves were moderately strong, and somewhat reminiscent of those on a Sound Rowers race a couple of years ago at Budd Inlet. "Hmmm..." I thought. "Now we'll see how many kayaks and row boats get swamped or need assistance, possibly from your truly, and get some pictures to boot!"

However, there were no racers to be found.

I reached Blake Island and headed around it in a clockwise direction. The sheltered marina area soon appeared, and so did some light sprinkles of rain. The bimini was raised, and this helped keep me dry. It also acted as a sail to speed me on my way towards the east side of the island.

There were still no racers.

I could see the sun shining over Seattle, the ferries plying their routes across Puget Sound, and a couple of sailboats bent over in the wind. The gusts of wind helped keep me cool as I dangled my hands over the gunwales. Eventually I reached the south side of the island.

Where did those racers go?

The water on this side of the island was not green, nor was it blue. It was black. Normally I'd be worried, but looking up I could see blue sky, and nice weather heading my way.

Ahead, I finally saw some people paddling kayaks in the water. Unfortunately,
however, these folks were just out there for the fun of it, and were definitely not moving at racing speeds. Sigh...

A number of pleasure craft were moored at the buoys along the west side of the island as I passed by. Their crews had taken dinghys and inflatable boats to the shore where I saw them playing on the beach, and examining the tidal zone creatures.

Another group of kayaks out for the day crossed my route and headed for the island, but nowhere did I see the racers.

My cell phone rang, and Ron McDonald was on the line. He had been out on the water to the north, and said that he saw the racers heading toward Port Orchard. This meant that the racers had gone in the opposite direction from what the route had indicated!

Oh, well. So much for racing pictures! It was a beautiful day, nonetheless.

I headed back to the dock to finish up the approximately 8 mile trip.

(*Insert comments about the boat ramp not reaching the water here)

As I waited for the tide to come in I spoke with another boater who was part of the race safety team. He said that the race director had decided that the more protected route to and from Port Orchard would be safer for all concerned than the regular route around Blake Island. Even so, a large contingent of racers did not finish, and turned back early.

This could have been a good opportunity for one of Geo's WaveBikes to strut their stuff!

*After today's boating expedition it appears that the best boat ramp for a trip to Blake Island is located at the city of Manchester. There is a very nice concrete ramp and dock, a reasonable amount of parking and, best of all, no fees!

There is one slight problem, however. Returning to the dock around 12:30 PM I noticed that the boat ramp ended some 10 feet from the water, and a drop of about a foot from the end of the ramp to the rocks below. What was worse was that the tide had not completely gone out yet!

I had to wait until 3:30 before the water level rose enough to meet the end of the ramp. (During the wait I had lunch, went through the library, and made a gentle slope of rocks from the end of the ramp to the tidal flats.)

Take a look here for pictures.

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