One of my favorite Sound Rowers races is the Round Shaw Row. It takes place smack dab in the middle of the San Juan Islands of Washington State. As the name implies the course consists of circumnavigating Shaw Island for a total distance of about 14 statute miles.
Unlike all of the other Sound Rowers races there are no land routes to the start of the race. You either take a ferry, fly on a chartered airplane or go by boat to get there. After tossing around the possibility of pedaling to the island from Anacortes, WA, with a bunch of camping gear the day before the race I chose instead to take the ferry. The winds and rainy weather forecast for that day couldn't possibly have been a factor in my decision!
The San Juans are a favorite tourist destination, so the bookings for the ferries fill up to several hours in advance of each departure. With that in mind I left Bellevue at 10:45 AM hoping to make it on board the 2:45 PM ferry. I had intended to leave by 10 AM, but the rain and last minute loading of a recumbent bike on the car slowed things down a bit.
Traffic was very heavy and a little slow with the wet and wind, but not too bad. It took only a little more than 2 hours to reach the ferry terminal. People who took later ferries said that traffic had gotten so bad that it took up to 6 hours to make what for them would otherwise have been a 3 hour trip!
The normal round trip fare for a car and driver going to Shaw is $37.50. If you buy a Frequent User booklet of 5 tickets, however, the cost works out to about $21 per trip. With this in mind I bought a booklet and used one ticket for my passage. The rest I hid in a special hiding place near the ferry terminal for some other folks to pick up and share the expense.
The rain stopped after 30 minutes or so, turning to a bright overcast.
Eventually it was our turn to load and I drove on board. The top passenger deck was a great place to view the passage while typing on my PDA a story about the Elk River Challenge the week before.
A little more than an hour later the Shaw terminal came into view. It was time to return to the car and drive onto the island.
The nuns were no longer there to handle the ferry terminal. They had moved out earlier in the year to be replaced by members of the family that now also operated the little grocery store/post office at the terminal.
After a quick stop at the store to see if anything changed I continued on to the campground.
All the camp sites were reserved for one or both nights of the weekend. In addition, several of the overflow spaces in the grassy field near the picnic shelter were already taken by other racers. I found a spot, set up my tent and began preparations for the night and for dinner.
The picnic shelter was full of clothes and equipment strung on lines secured to the rafters. A group of kayakers had made the crossing from Anacortes to Shaw that day. The rain and wind made for a rather wet crossing!
Still, there was enough room for them, some other racers and me to bring our stoves inside to cook our meals and eat. If we had stayed outside the breeze would have cooled our food a bit too quickly.
I was also somewhat amazed to see the cooking setup used by the kayakers. They had a 25 pound propane cylinder with them, powering a fairly large stove. Apparently it fit within the storage compartment of one of their large double kayaks. At first I thought it might not fit in the Cadence as well, but upon further examination it looks like it would fit fairly easily in the front hatch. Of course, the question remains unanswered as to whether or not I would ever want to carry one on a trip!
Deb & Paul arrived shortly afterwards, bringing with them a sleeping bag to rescue me from a moment of forgetfulness while packing. Thanks, guys!
After a dinner of pasta and salad shared with some of the other campers I took a walk along the beach. The clearing skies allowed the setting sun to provide excellent lighting and scenic backdrops.
Saturday dawned with overcast skies and calm conditions. The temperature was in the upper 50's. Several cars with boats had appeared overnight, carried by the late night and early morning ferries.
By the time I was done with breakfast the field was nearly filled with cars, vans and boats. I prepped my Cadence and took it down the boat ramp to the beach.
Mike Reid, the organizer for the race, was somewhat late getting to the park. He normally takes his motorboat over from nearby Orcas Island with a row boat in tow. Today, however, he didn't arrive until after the race had been scheduled to begin. In his absence Beverly began registering people and handing out race numbers.
The race numbers were made from coroplast that had been scored and imprinted with a permanent marker. They form a small rigid tent-like structure when duct taped to the deck of a boat, and can be reused over and over again. Paul Rollinger came up with them by collecting discarded political and real estate signs and reusing their blank back sides. Great idea, Paul!
Mike arrived soon after with the waivers and things got under way shortly after.
The tide was not very high, nor very low today. In fact, the forecast of the difference between high and low tides was no more than about a foot or two. Unlike last year's race this meant there was enough water to keep the eel grass out of the way, and we didn't have to wade out hundreds of feet to reach deep water to launch. This also meant that most of the currents around the island should be relatively slow.
After carefully drying my feet and putting on my bike shoes I pedaled over to the starting line area. Only a couple of boats were lined up to head around the island in the clockwise direction. Most were heading the other way. I decided to head along with the crowd, figuring that I might be able to draft one or more boats for a faster but easier time.
The overcast skies had long since changed to scattered clouds. It was quite warm in the sunlight. I was no longer worried that the only clothes I had along were what I was wearing; i.e., long sleeved nylon shirt, bike shorts, socks & shoes and a visor/sweat band. Of course, I was wearing a PFD, too, which tends to retain quite a bit of body warmth.
After taking a couple of starting line photos we were off!
For a relatively long race these people certainly had a fast start! At about 8 mph we headed due east towards Picnic Point. Suddenly I had a nasty feeling. We were heading directly over an area that had a reef that was obscured by the tide. Would the water be deep enough for safe passage?
Either by luck or by there being an adequately high tide we all passed without harm. Whew!
A couple of HPK's had started to draft each other. I joined in for a minute or two until we ran into some seaweed. Rats!
The clearing of my prop took only a couple of seconds, but I fell behind. It would take quite a bit of effort to catch these guys!
Meanwhile an OC-2 was following close on my stern.
The field made the turn around Picnic Point and headed north. Noticing the patch of bull kelp floating on the surface around the point like so many tiny logs I carefully made my way through whatever openings I could find while avoiding the rocks closer to shore. I had to clear the prop only once more before making the turn northward into Upright Channel.
My heart rate was about 155 bpm, and my speed was about 7.5 mph.
I put the pedal to the metal in a attempt to catch Shane, one of the HPK paddlers ahead. Slowly I was gaining on him, but the heat from the sun and the tailwind I was now encountering conspired against me. If I didn't catch him I would be pretty well worn out before the race was half over! This would not be good.
I decided to save some energy for later.
We reached Harken Point a few minutes later. Whew! There was still no breeze!
I dragged my hands in the water to help cool off.
It seemed as though the other racers had somehow disappeared into the distance. I could barely make out Shane and his HPK ahead in Harney Channel at the north side of Shaw. That was certainly discouraging! How did they do that?
Shortly afterward I reached Hudson Point. This was fairly close to the ferry terminal so I double checked to make sure that there was no ferry vessel approaching from behind. Nope - none to be seen. There were quite a few pleasure boats going through the channel. Unfortunately, it seemed that they were all heading eastbound. This meant there were few wakes available for surfing. Instead, they were more of a nuisance. Oops! I forgot to bring the wave deflector! Oh, well. That just meant a little more water might enter the cockpit when hitting the waves. It was not really a big deal.
I passed the Shaw terminal. Shane was almost out of site now, and I decided that for the remainder of the race I would just have a good time cruising rather than do an all out effort. It was just too beautiful a day and, perhaps, a bit too warm for my taste to spend it melting into a puddle in the bottom of the boat without seeing the sights.
My heart rate was about 132 bpm, and my speed about 6.5 mph.
Just after passing Blind Bay I ran across a number of sea gulls floating on the water. They didn't seem to mind me, so I took their picture.
Meanwhile a rower slowly passed on the port side. Where did he come from?
Up ahead a flotilla of tiny sailboats in training was making its way eastward into the wind (my tailwind), tacking every couple of hundred yards or so in order to stay in the eastbound side of the channel. The rower was headed right into them during one of their maneuvers and had to stop for a moment to let one particularly close vessel pass. With the advantage of being able to see ahead I left quite enough room for my safe passage, and greeted the sailors. They returned the greetings, though the teacher in the small motorboat appeared to ignore both of us as he zoomed around the sailboats like a border collie herding sheep.
A bit further down the channel the rower had pulled ahead and slowly disappeared into the distance. I passed a sailboat attempting to travel downwind through Wasp Passage.
I was about halfway through the race. Boy, it was hot with this tailwind!
A couple of pleasure boats passed by, making the fairly placid water a bit more interesting. There were even a couple of westward boats that provided some wakes I could surf, though my legs were starting to get pretty worn out.
The first of the clockwise racers appeared, a mixed double rowing shell. It was shortly followed by another piloted by Jeff and Theresa.
Hey - if the first of the clockwise racers had now just appeared, then maybe I wasn't too far behind after all!
Several other racers passed going in the opposite direction. I greeted and cheered them all on, taking as many photos as I could. The glove of the waterproof camera housing proved to be a mixed blessing. Each time I put my hand in it the thumb or forefinger pushed the mode adjustment dial on the camera, so I had to correct it before taking the shot. A few shots were spoiled until I figured out what was happening.
Nearing Neck Point a seal was checking me out. What sort of weird kayak was that, anyway?
Another couple in a double kayak going clockwise passed just prior to my reaching the westernmost point of the island. They seemed to be having a good time, too!
Finally I reached the furthest west point and entered San Juan Channel. A delicious breeze was blowing. The streams of sweat that had been pouring down my face and soaking my clothes slowed to a trickle. In fact, I was almost getting a little chilled! Yay!
The fastest way through this next section was to head straight to Point George. One could hug the shoreline, but that would add nearly half a mile to the race. En route I passed the last two racers, both double kayaks, heading in the clockwise direction.
My heart rate was around 110-120 bpm, and my speed was just over 6 mph.
Across the channel a San Juan ferry could be seen leaving Friday Harbor on its way to Orcas Island. A sailing regatta in Friday Harbor could also be seen, with white sails moving every which way.
Right about here I noticed that the waterproof camera housing was no longer waterproof. A hole had developed along one of the seams. Rats! Now I'd have to send it back for replacement, and be extra careful so as to not get the camera wet!
The camera was also showing signs of getting overheated, so I took it out of the housing. Sure enough, the camera body was quite warm to the touch. A few minutes in the cool sea breeze solved that problem.
It didn't take too long to reach Point George, though near it I had to stop and fix a problem with one of my socks. A wrinkle had created a pressure point under a toe which was getting quite painful. The moment's rest felt pretty good, too.
Further down the coast where there had been some tidal eddies in previous races there was now only smooth water. There were several places where the kelp was pretty thick. In fact, in some places the kelp was so thick as to appear to be like a raft of logs! I steered clear and had no problems whatsoever.
Eventually the southernmost corner of the island was reached. I passed several kayaks pulled up on the beach - not racers - and continued on. There were several barely submerged rocks and reefs in this area, so I had to keep a sharp eye out to avoid them. Of course, if I went further out in the channel it would have been less of a problem, but that would have added to the total distance.
Up until this time the GPS had been set to display speed and distance. I was a little confused by Squaw Bay and its proximity to Indian Cove where the finish line was located, so I switched the GPS to show a map and my position. With this information in hand I correctly passed Squaw Bay and headed directly to Indian Cove.
Mike Reid was sitting in his boat when I pedaled up to him. He gave a weak "toot" on his whistle to tell me I had finished. He announced that I was the 19th boat to complete the race, with a time of about 2:25. This was not too bad, considering.
I took a few photos of the next few incoming racers, which included the OC-2 and a single kayak, and headed to shore.
A group of racers and their friends or spouses had gathered at the registration table. I returned my race number and proceeded to take a shower using my garden sprayer. Solar heating turned its originally cold camp water contents into a nice warm stream. Ahh, that felt good!
After most everyone left for home or elsewhere I went on my recumbent bike with Paul and Deb to the grocery store at the ferry dock. My legs didn't feel like moving much, but the route was mostly flat. Thank goodness the bike had a suspension! The road was quite rough macadam.
Unlike previous years the pot luck was attended only by off-islanders. We had poached salmon, several salads, pasta, chips, burgers, freshly popped popcorn, etc. Everyone had more than enough to eat as we had pleasant conversation in the park.
Later that night some of the folks took their boats out for a short paddle or row in the darkness. They described the wonderful sights caused by the bioluminescent algae as they went around Indian Cove, comparing it to paddling among the stars. Had I not been so tired I would have joined them. Perhaps next year...
Sunday morning Paul and I went for a short trip over to Lopez Island. We went by way of the Zodiac, which was anchored near Canoe Island. There was a moderately strong northerly breeze as we made our way 2.5 miles across the channel to Odlin County Park, and we had to dodge a ferry as well.
I neglected to take along a camera as I didn't want to chance it getting wet. There was a sense of freedom not having it hanging fom my neck, but also a sense of missing the ability to share the sights later.
I tied up the Cadence at the dock while Paul beached his kayak. We took a stroll through the park noting the amenities and comparing them to the quite spartan facilities at Indian Cove. Odlin was definitely a nicer park, though the group camping area was a bit smaller and definitely in higher demand than Indian Cove. However, there are other places one can stay on Lopez, including inns and B&B's. Lopez also has tourist-oriented things to do, unlike the "go away and leave us alone" attitude that seems prevalent on Shaw.
I suggested to Paul that the Sound Rowers might consider moving the start of the race to Lopez. After all, it would not add that much to the distance, the ferry costs were less, the park and other facilities were nicer, and the islanders on Shaw seemed to be less and less friendly. Ok, so the race has been going on for 27 years on Shaw, but times and circumstances change.
Paul thought it was a good idea, but of course it was not up to us to make this decision. I'll have to bring it up at the annual meeting.
We made out way back to our boats and returned to Indian Cove. The sun had dried up the prodigious dew that had condensed overnight so it was time to break camp. In fact, we hurried the process as fast as possible in order to get in line for the next ferry. With the limited number of cars allowed on the ferry from each island we wanted to make sure we weren't left behind. If we missed this one it would be over four hours until the next one arrived.
Nine cars were allotted for Shaw. My car was number ten and therefore in standby. Paul and Deb were in car number twelve. I spent the time eating lunch, folding my tent and watching the boats pass by.
As it turned out they managed to squeeze fourteen cars from Shaw onto the ferry. Whew!
This ferry was smaller than the one I took to Shaw. It had only one passenger deck which was relatively crowded with people returning from the islands to the mainland. Even so I found a comfy booth with a table and a window to look outside, making the transition back to the hubbub of urban life easier.
It was a fine weekend and an excellent race.
Photos I took during the race can be found
here.
Other photos and videos can be found
here.
My route and statistics