The Great Cross Sound Race is the premier race organized by the Sound Rowers. It takes place in Puget Sound between Seattle and Bainbridge Island. The course covers a thin triangle, starting at Alki Beach in West Seattle, heading to Blakely Rock just off Bainbridge, turning south to the buoy just off Decatur Reef, and returning to Alki. The total distance is about 7.6 miles.
This event was organized by Jeff Knakal, a member of the Sound Rowers who lives in Everett, WA.
It did not help much that the previous week I had been vacationing in the Mount Shasta area of California, languishing in hot upper 90's environment of that (toasted) Golden State, barely able to move without melting. It also did not help that the day before the race was spent driving from there back to Seattle, arriving after 10 PM. Listening to Harry Potter #5 on CD did help make the journey much more pleasant, however. Even the kids seemed to enjoy the marathon drive with that as a distraction.
The trip to West Seattle the next morning was uneventful. As usual, all the good parking spaces were filled before I got there. I ended up parking about three blocks from the registration pavilion, and got ready as quickly as possible. A passer-by helped me unload the Cadence from the roof of the van onto the dolly. For some reason, I decided I wouldn't need my water shoes, so they were left in the van. With the seat cushions, paddle, water bottle, life jacket and bike shoes stuffed into the cockpit I pushed the boat to the registration area just in time for the 8:30 AM pre-race meeting.
Since I had done this race several times before I only half listened to what was being said, while filling out the race registration form and paying my $15. Ok, so I forgot that I could have pre-registered and saved $3. Sigh ... still, it went to a good cause, and the T-shirt was fairly nice.
Right after the meeting people started launching their boats. Paul, a fellow I met at the Quartermaster Harbor race, offered to help me bring my boat down to the water, so I took him up on it. Ouch! Ow! Yeow! My poor, delicate feet complained bitterly about the large gravel stones of Alki "Beach" as we carried the Cadence down into the water.
I shoved off, put on my socks and bike shoes, and paddled away to deep, weed-free water.
Pedaling my way out to meet the others as they went through their warm up routines I took a bunch of pictures. As usual it was difficult to frame them properly through the three layers of plastic protecting the camera from contact with water. The bright, sunny morning made the LCD view finder that much more difficult to see, and the optical view finder was still obscured by the plastic and the lens mount.
It would be another point-and-shoot and hope for the best day.
The 5 minute warning signal came all too soon. I reset my GPS trip odometer and track, and got ready for the race. This entailed putting on sun screen lotion and rolling up my shirt sleeves. It was already getting pretty warm out here, and there was not much of any wind to speak of.
The one minute warning signal came, and a short 60 seconds later we were off!
I had been sitting next to a fast two man rowing team. When the starting signal was heard these guys just rocketed off the line and quickly disappeared into the distance. Everyone else for the most part merely took off with a speed similar to or less than mine, which happened to be around 7.5 to 8 mph. Focus - click! Focus - click! I tried to take as many photos as possible, and still pedal like crazy.
For the first part of the race I chose to pedal independent of the other boats around me. This was partly by choice, and partly because the boats nearby did not create much of a wake in which I could easily draft. Still, it let me take more action shots even if I was working harder than some of the folks who were in aquatic pace lines. Pedal, click, breathe, pedal, click, breathe!
Eventually, however, I thought it would make sense to find someone who was going about the same speed as I was, and follow in their wake. Lo and behold, there was a double kayak coming alongside, which paced me for several hundred yards. With their rudder deployed they made a perfect vessel to draft!
I slowed slightly, maneuvered into their wake inches from their stern, and took a break.
During all this time I found my hat becoming quite a nuisance. With the speed of travel around 7 mph and the presence of a slight headwind, the hat was acting more like a drogue chute than a useful implement. It did not want to stay behind me on the deck of the boat; rather, it kept sliding to one side or the other in order to take full advantage of the wind. Eventually I was able to hold it in place by squeezing the brim between my neck and the life jacket, though this was neither fully effective nor truly comfortable. Grrr.
Our speed increased slightly to about 7 mph, and the guy in the rear of the kayak kept looking behind for some reason or another. We kept together for quite a distance, until we hit a patch of weeds floating in the water. Almost immediately my speed dropped to under 6 mph, even though I was pedaling with more effort than before. Forward and backward pedaling helped a bit, but the kayak managed to keep going at full speed. I lost them. Sweat was beginning to drip down my face, too.
We were nearing Blakely Rock. The race leaders could be seen against the shore of Bainbridge Island as they neared Decatur Reef. I decided to get another tow from another double kayak. Even with the propeller partly fouled it would still be easier following these guys.
We were together the rest of the way to the rock, where they decided to take a short cut through shallow water. I opted for deeper water, where there were fewer rocks and weeds to hit.
It was now about 34 minutes into the race.
Shortly after making the turn past Blakely Rock I ran into another clump of weeds. This time my speed dropped to 4.5 mph. Forward and backward pedaling did not help; in fact, it seemed to make the problem worse!
Boats were starting to catch up and pass while I was pedaling as hard as I could. I decided to head to the nearest shore for weed removal rather than just jump out and do it right there. After all, it would be easier to lift the stern from the water to access the propeller, and not have to get all wet.
People were calling out to make sure I was OK. I told them what was going on, and eventually made it to the barnacle and weed covered rocks lining the shore of Decatur Reef. Several beachcombers were there, too, and they watched as I approached the shore.
I nosed the Cadence in to a small cleft in the rocky shoreline so the boat would still be floating when I stepped out from it. However, while I was able to remove my right foot from the clipless pedals with no problem, the left foot was trapped between the crank arm and the side of the cockpit. The propeller was hitting the rocky bottom so the pedals wouldn't rotate to free my foot, and I couldn't move the Cadence forward or backward! Eventually, with the help of my canoe paddle, I was able to back off enough to free the propeller and my other foot.
I took off my shoes and socks and got out of the boat. Gee whiz - I sure wished I had my water shoes!
As expected, around the prop shaft was a blob of yarn-like weeds. These seem to be the most difficult sort to deal with, as they are very resilient and wind up just like string. I unwound them, removed some additional gunk from the bearings, and prepared to reenter the boat.
I was almost in when I slipped or otherwise lost my balance, and fell right back out into the water! The boat started slowly drifting away, and I found myself floating, supported by the life jacket. My first thoughts were that my PFD and all of its contents were going to need a thorough rinse after the race, and that the camera protection was going to be well tested!
I tried to get back in a second time, and was successful. In the process, however, I noticed that my big toe now sported a several inch long cut, and was bleeding through the athletic sock. Oh, well. It was a good thing I had a first aid kit back at the van!
A lot of boats had gone by before I got back under way. My camera data indicated that the stop had taken about 8 minutes, which is a long time in a race such as this. Oh, well. Trying to complete the race at 4.5 mph or less would have wasted much more time.
It was almost no time at all before I reached the last turn at the Decatur Reef buoy.
Off to the southeast a couple of hundred feet I saw a couple of seals playing in the water, their flippers splashing and generally having a good time. Of course, by the time my camera was ready to take their picture they disappeared beneath the waves.
I started catching and passing the folks in this portion of the race. They were going around 5 mph, and my speed was now up to 7.5 mph. Boy, did that feel good! No energy was being used to fight weeds, and the Cadence was performing very well!
There was quite a gap between a rower in an Alden shell and the next group of boats, but it appeared to be shrinking. With luck I might be able to catch up to them!
Not today, unfortunately. Another patch of weeds appeared and my speed dropped to about 5.8 to 6 mph. Rats! Same pedaling effort, less speed. The Alden was now approaching, and passed. Sweat was dripping into my eyes - that sure stings!
I was reluctant to try the forward and reverse pedaling weed removal method, as the last time it merely got the stringy weeds further entangled around the propeller shaft. Still, as I got closer to Alki I decided to go for broke.
It worked! The weeds were just eel grass and the propeller sliced them up!
My speed was now back up to 7.5 mph, and I started gaining on the Alden. Pedal, pedal!
I didn't care, I pedaled even harder. The Alden crossed the line, and four seconds later I crossed it as well. Whew!
I drifted to shore, my muscles spent. After taking off my shoes I got out and tried to drag the Cadence onto the shore. Unfortunately, my feet were hurting on the stones and my legs were a bit wobbly. Paul, who had helped me launch, came over and helped me carry the boat back to the staging area above the beach. Afterwards I took a much needed rest on a nearby bench as the race wound down.
After walking back to the van to drop off some stuff I picked up the garden sprayer to wash down the Cadence. I first used it to wash off my feet. That felt good! A clean pair of relatively fluffy dry socks and tennis shoes made them feel even better.
The awards ceremony was held about 20 minutes later, after the last of the boats made it across the line. The first boat, a two man rowing shell, completed the course in 51 minutes, 34 seconds. The fastest one man boat, also a rowing shell, finished it in 53 minutes, 34 seconds. My time? Well, it was slower than last year's by about 9 minutes. I finished in 51st place with a time of 79 minutes, 43 seconds. Last year I did not take any pictures during the race, either.
Later I was talking with another person about the weed issues, and the Cadence versus the Escapade for racing. "In the Escapade", I said, "my top cruising speed is about what I can achieve in the Cadence when its propeller is fouled with weeds." It can still move around, just not as fast as before. Still, it would be really nice to not have such problems!
Paul helped me load the Cadence back onto the van, and we parted ways.
I took a nice, warm shower when I got home.
It was a beautiful day, a truly great race and, with the exception of the injuries, a lot of fun!
The complete set of photos I took during the race can be found here.
The course I followed during the race and some metrics can also be found there by clicking on the last picture above.
The course and depth info can be found here.