This Sound Rowers race took place quite a distance from my house - 120 miles away, if you go by land and bridge, but only 50 miles away as the crow flies. Taking a ferry across Puget Sound cuts the distance to some 70 miles, but then you are at the mercy of its schedule. Unfortunately for me, this meant getting up at 5:15 AM for a 10:00 AM race. If only the race was scheduled 30 minutes later, I could have slept in for another hour or two!
Of course, the night before the race I was up late loading the car with stuff. Stuff I would need for the race, stuff I would need after the race for the pot luck and return trip, and stuff to keep the kids happy during the race. Happily for me the kids would be watched by their grandmother and the nice sandy beach at Fort Worden State Park makes for an excellent playground.
The drive to the ferry terminal was rushed, not as desired but as expected. For some reason the kids were a little slow to get ready ("I wanna sleep, Daddy") and we left a bit later than planned. We managed to get in the queue with about 10 minutes to spare. Whew! The rest of the trip could be much less hectic.
Unlike the forecast, the sky was mostly clear and blue. Well, that's how it was in the Seattle area. Over the Olympic Peninsula to the west were quite a few clouds that just might afflict the race with less clement weather.
The ride on the ferry was uneventful. The kids finished their breakfast and Grandma & I tried to get a little shut-eye.
The drive to Port Townsend and Fort Worden was also uneventful. We took a side trip through downtown Port Gamble where I pointed out the company houses, general store and museum and where the saw mill used to be located. It looked as though there had been or was going to be some sort of festivity, as several large white tents were staked in the parking lots and grassy fields on the west side of town.
Eventually, after driving past Egg & I Road we arrived at Port Townsend. It was still fairly early (8:30 AM), and the town was not quite stirring yet. After cruising through town we ended up on the bluff near the park, where I took the above photos.
There was plenty of parking available. Quite a few people had arrived ahead of us and had already unloaded their boats, carrying them over the beach grass and driftwood down to the gently sloping sandy shore. I decided to help Grandma and the kids get situated in their barrier-free sandbox, and then attend to registration details.
After returning from registration, Paul Rollinger assisted me in getting the Cadence down from the roof of my Toyota Matrix. Thanks, Paul!
The fat tires of the dolly worked pretty well in the extremely loose, dry sand. They were also flexible enough to ride over the mostly buried driftwood logs separating the beach grass from the bare sand.
The kids were happily digging holes and burying each other in them when the signal for the pre-race meeting was given. Steve Chapin, the race director, did a pretty good job of describing the race, the course hazards, and identified the people and vessels that would be providing safety support.
This year the low tide would not prevent us from actually circumnavigating Rat Island. However, it would still be low enough that one should be aware of the shallows surrounding the island and steer accordingly.
One significant difference in this race from others is the number of multiperson rowing shells. One 8 man shell and one 4 man shell were already waiting on the shore and a second 8 man shell boat arrived during the meeting. This would be quite an interesting race!
After the meeting I returned to the car and stripped down to racing garments. Today I chose to wear a loose long sleeved red nylon top, bicycling shorts and cotton sweat socks. Instead of my large cool hat I wore a sweat banded plastic visor. My skin was slathered with SPF 50 sun screen lotion. The heart rate monitor was strapped around my chest and transmitting clearly. I was ready to launch.
Given the sandy nature of the beach the water shoes were left behind in favor of bare feet. Brrr! The water was very cold! Thank goodness it was a sunny day.
The Cadence seemed to be working pretty well. A recent adjustment to the position of the propeller on the prop shaft along with tightening of several set screws appeared to fix the thumping and friction problems encountered at the race the previous weekend. Still, there seemed to be a little more resistance to the pedals than I recalled having with my previous boat. Perhaps it would loosen up during the rigors of the race.
After a few minutes of warming up an announcement was made that the start of the race would be delayed approximately 10 minutes. It was not until after the race the cause was disclosed. Apparently one of the racers had been ticketed for speeding through the state park in their car! I guess that is one side effect of taking the later ferry.
While we were lined up waiting to go one of the 8's found themselves drifting towards the large orange balloon-like buoy used to mark the starting line. Before they could get themselves out of the way the starting signal was given. Oops! They were stuck for almost a minute before they could get around it.
Meanwhile, the rest of the field took off. The tidal current and a light breeze were helping to push us along towards Point Hudson and Port Townsend. The Cadence was running fast, able to keep up with or pass most of the nearby boats. The four man shell was slowly passing by on the starboard side, so I started cranking harder. Perhaps I could draft in their wake!
Under the extra effort the adjustable tower suddenly slid forward. Rats! I quickly readjusted it, tightened the clamps, and continued. It was too long. Double rats! I readjusted it. It was still too long. Triple rats! Finally, I got it in the right position, but it was too late to try to catch the 4 man shell.
One of the boats in whose company I often find myself was now just ahead. With a little effort I should be able to catch up and draft them. The heart rate monitor indicated a pulse in the neighborhood of 160 bpm, and the GPS indicated a speed of over 8 mph. We're cooking!
I meant that literally, too. At this pace the tailwind turned into a dead calm. The bright sun beating down and reflecting from the water made it quite toasty, especially with the level of physical exertion. I was already starting to sweat profusely. Dipping my hands in the cold water helped.
The flotilla continued at a breakneck pace towards Point Hudson. Some of the racers chose to stay near the shore. I'm not exactly sure why they did so, as the effects of the tidal current to help push them along should be higher further out where I was. The women's 8 person shell kept to the outside even further from shore, as did several one and two person sculls. The 4 man shell could be seen, slowly pulling away from us at a distance of about 100 yards. It would have been wonderful had I been able to draft them.
I soon caught up to the OC-2.
All was well for a while. I snapped photos of the nearby boats while catching my breath. The HRM (heart rate monitor) indicated a pulse around 155-160 and the GPS had a speed of around 7 to 7.5 mph. Ok, so maybe these guys were not quite as fast as I could potentially go. I'd rather conserve my energy for later.
That turned out to be a good idea. We ran into a floating batch of weeds. They cleared off the prop quite easily with the forward/backward pedaling, but the OC-2 barreled on without a hitch and was now 40 or 50 feet away.
Putting the pedal to the metal I was able to catch up, with the HRM showing 165 bpm. Huff, puff, puff - drink some water, man!
The HPK that had been paralleling us managed to sneak in the gap. His wake was nowhere near the pulling strength of the OC-2, so I ended up paralleling them for a while. Eventually he dropped off and I attempted catch the OC-2. Oh, no - more weeds!
The chase was on. HRM indicated 165; GPS indicated 7+; digital camera indicated ERR. What?!? The sunlight on the camera in its waterproof pouch was causing it to overheat! It wouldn't even turn off.
There was only one thing to do - remove the camera from the case so it would cool and pedal like crazy to try to catch up to the OC-2.
While struggling with the camera case I noticed that the pedal mechanism of the Cadence appeared to be a lot noisier than normal. I thought it might be due to misalignment of the chain and sprockets. Nope. Perhaps it was due to a lack of lubrication. No - it was just sprayed with a dry PTFE lubricant the night before the race. Perhaps the chain tension was wrong. Nope - It had about 1/2 to 3/4 inch of play. Perhaps the gear box gears were worn. That would be hard to check in the water. Anyway, the friction levels had definitely increased somewhat. The sooner I caught the OC-2 the better.
The camera was quite warm to the touch. I took out the battery and reinserted it. Turning it on the camera appeared to be operating normally. Hurray!
I quickly snapped a photo of the guy in the HPK at the south end of the gravel and sand bar known as Rat Island and headed back north towards Point Hudson. The OC-2 was fairly close by and with the help of the now refreshingly cool headwind I was able to catch up. Grind, grind, grind!
Shortly after reaching the north end of the island we passed an incoming racing canoe heading in the opposite direction. They were the only ones who went in the counterclockwise direction.
Heading into the wind made the water seem quite a bit choppier than when heading with the wind. The bow of the Cadence went into a few waves, but nothing actually made it into the cockpit. However, spray from the paddle of the guy in the HPK threatened to hit me and the now unprotected camera, so I had to move aside and pass. Uh-oh. Why is the drive system making an irregular popping sound now?!?
The grinding noise was also getting louder. A couple of times I pulled out alongside the OC-2 to pass, but the grinding and popping grew decidedly more intense. Thinking that discretion was the better part of valor, staying behind and stressing the drive mechanism less would probably be a better idea than trying to beat these guys and breaking it.
As we passed the Point Hudson the irregular popping sound became more frequent. Uh-oh. This was definitely not good. Could the gears in the gear box be skipping?
I was glad I had brought along a canoe paddle for auxiliary propulsion.
The HRM indicated about 145 bpm, and the GPS indicated a speed of about 6 mph. With the finish line in sight, the guys in the OC-2 began a higher powered effort to make it to the finish. I had a fair amount of strength left in my legs, but the drive system just wouldn't take it.
A member of the Coast Guard auxiliary met us. His kayak sported both Canadian and USA flags and he was fully attired in safety and rescue gear. Thanks for being there for us!
I fell behind. The drive system was now sounding like a giant popcorn machine. Bang, bang, bangity, bang!
Paul greeted me with his video camera. He asked what the banging sound was and I replied "Backfiring". It actually had that kind of ambiance, with the hull acting as a sounding board. I continued on to the finish.
With a time of 1:16:04 I crossed the line, 13th place out of a field of 24 boats. My time the previous year under similar conditions but which did not actually go around the island, was 1:14:08. The HRM indicated that I was in the target zone (130 to 200 bpm) for 1:11:17. I guess the last few minutes of the race with the drive train malfunction, requiring me to pedal with less intensity, the heart rate dropped below the target!
I stayed out in the water for a while to take photos of the rest of the field. When just about everyone had returned and no more were to be seen I headed to shore. Ahh, that hot sand felt good after stepping into that cold water!
People were wiping down their boats, chatting and just enjoying the day. The kids and their Grandma were nowhere to be seen - and they had the keys to the car. So, after dragging the Cadence up near their beach blanket I got out the cell phone to call them. Just as I was about to dial I heard them approaching from the Marine Center dock. Excellent timing!
I changed into dry clothes and sprayed down the Cadence with fresh water. There appeared to be a fine gray sand in the bottom of the cockpit. On closer examination it proved to be tiny shavings of metal from the smaller sprocket.
How could I tell that it was from the small chain sprocket? Well, the teeth on that sprocket now resembled that of a buzz saw! They were supposed to look more like a trapezoid.
This was not entirely unexpected, as the same sort of thing happened with my previous boat. Replacing the small stainless steel sprocket and chain with carbon steel equivalents cures that problem. I guess the stainless sprocket was just too soft for the application.
With a bit of effort Grandma and I finally managed to convince the kids that it was time to eat. We headed to the kitchen shelter for the pot luck lunch.
We were a little late. Just about all the grilled salmon and large plates were gone. There were plenty of intriguing and tasty-looking salads and desserts to be had, however, so we did not go away hungry.
After lunch most everyone pitched in to clean up the shelter.
The awards ceremony was held outside. The first to finish was the double shell piloted by Rainer and Adrian Storb, with a time of 57:49. Their names were inscribed on a perpetual trophy mug with indelible Sharpie pen ink in their honor.
The first one-man vessel to cross the finish line was Brian Mulvaney in an HPK with a time of 1:08:29. He finished just after the 8's. The last boat across the line was Deb's, with a time of 1:58:20.
There were some additional prizes awarded to the first few finishers. These included wind socks ("they have the speed for them") and a crown.
With the awards ceremony concluded we packed up the car and headed home. The ferry ride from Bainbridge Island to Seattle was beautiful, and we saw a cruise ship leaving port on its way to Alaska.
Ah, what a day!
Photos I took during the race can be found here.
