Lake Sammamish Race
March 15, 2003

The second Sound Rowers race of the season, Lake Sammamish, was held on a relatively nice day. It started just west of the boat ramp at Lake Sammamish State Park near Issaquah, WA.

Registration Rower & Registration

Though rain was forecast and it had been rather wet the preceding week the day started somewhat overcast with a light breeze.

This race was a bit different from previous years. My wife Kate and youngest son came along to take photos of the event from the vantage of my Escapade pedal boat. This left me free to concentrate on pushing myself and my brand new Cadence pedal boat to their limits.

Maiden Voyage Warming up

It was nice having someone along to help me launch the Cadence - especially since the waters of the lake were so high that the docks were under water. We carried it to the edge of the ramp where we distributed the equipment between the Cadence and the Escapade. I then had my wife and son get in the Escapade while I backed the trailer into the water to launch the boat. No feet got wet in the process!

While Kate and son were pedaling about the area near the ramp I tried to replace the standard rat trap bike pedals with clipless Speedplay Frog pedals. Unfortunately, the adjustable crescent wrench I took along for this purpose was not thin enough to grasp the flat surfaces of the pedal axles. Rats! There was no using bike shoes for this race!

5 Minute Signal Waiting to go

The 5 minute signal was sounded shortly after I got the Cadence into the water. I pedaled around a bit, warming up a little, adjusted the seat pad and cushion and got into position near the south end of the starting line. Boats stretched from the north end of this portion of the lake almost to the south end.

The signal sounded for the 1 minute warning - except it was interpreted at the starting signal by many of the boats at the far north end of the line! I hung around for about 15 seconds, waiting for the race organizers to do something, but more and more people started going! Finally, I started going as well. What a way to start a race!

They're off! Wide field competition

Unlike La Conner with its narrow channel, the wide lake enabled racers to be spread over the course for quite a distance as the different speeds of the boats sorted them out.

We were heading west to a buoy just off the far shore. However, as the fluorescent pink buoy was not quite visible from this distance I remembered to make use of a pair of willow trees as approximate targets to which to head. As we passed from the protection of the wooded south shore of Lake Sammamish the southerly breeze turned into a strong wind. Everyone was being pushed towards the north, and I was now in the midst of a bunch of OC-1's (one person outrigger canoes) and OC-2's (two person canoes).

The canoes were angling for a spot a bit further south than where the buoy was located, so I cut through the line and ended up on the north side of the bunch. Far ahead I could see some of the rowing shells making the turn and heading south toward the second buoy.

The Cadence was performing fairly well, slicing through the water with a familiar melodic thrumming of the chain and bevel drive gear. The wind was pretty strong, and quite reminiscent of the La Conner race. The waves, however, were inconsistent. Suddenly a wave lifted the left side of the boat and nearly toppled me into the water! I quickly recovered my balance, but my right hand, which was grasping the rub rail, was quite wet from momentarily being under water. Whew - I guess I had better be a little more careful in this side wind! Perhaps that rudder wing on the Cadence I used at La Conner helped me more than I realized.

After that little scare my adrenaline was pumping and I had a little more energy. I was able to pull ahead of some of the OC-1's and make a tight turn around the first buoy. The wind was now in my face and quite welcome as it helped to cool me off.

4 person kayak on first lap Single fast rowing shell

Going into the wind I had absolutely no problems with stability. The OC-1's and OC-2's around me, however, had more drag due to their outriggers, and were slowly falling behind. I took some draughts from my water bottle and pushed ahead of an OC-2. As I approached the second buoy an OC-1 ahead of me knocked over the buoy with his outrigger. We all headed back towards the starting line on the last leg of the lap.

The side wind was not as much of a problem here. We were closer to the shore of the lake and the waves were not of any significance. I almost pedaled through a submerged bush that had been swept into the lake from Issaquah Creek, but luckily did not get entangled.

Close pursuit Getting a little crowded?

I managed to hit the 3rd buoy, near the south end of the boat ramp, just ahead of a couple of OC-1's. Kate was there taking pictures, so I gave her a wave and a cheer.

The first lap took me a little over 26 minutes. That was not too bad, considering the distance was about 3 miles, but I had hoped to average at least 7 mph. Perhaps with the proper pedals and shoes this would not be a problem.

The fastest boats were already well ahead of me now. In fact, some were almost at the second buoy! They were really cooking!

Fastest rowing shell Finish line judges

My legs were feeling fairly strong so long as I held my current pace. I noticed that the OC-1's and 2's within which I was traveling were pulling slowly ahead of me on the westward haul of the second lap. There was not much I could do about it if I were to have the strength to finish the race.

Making the turn around the first buoy a two man canoe bumped into my stern. "Hey - this is not supposed to be a contact sport!" I yelled to them, or something like that. They apologized and slowly passed me on the approach to the second buoy. A couple of other boats slowly passed me after the turn as we headed for the home stretch.

About a third of the way back I decided to start putting forth more effort. My pedaling cadence increased, my breathing got deeper, and the Cadence began accelerating. I could see the distance between me and the OC-1 ahead of me start to shrink. Go, go, GO!

They finished just ahead of me I was with them almost until the end

I chased OC-1's and the double canoe back to the finish line. However, these guys also put on some last minute speed, and managed to maintain their lead over me. Oh, well.

I made it!
With a time of 51 minutes, 38 seconds over a distance of about 6 miles, I finished in 23th place overall out of 69 boats! Not too bad for the maiden voyage!

Awards Ceremony Race Results #1

The complete set of photos my wife took during the race can be found here.


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