THE RACE The 2015 Wooden Boat Festival Rowing Race for all human powered boats went off without a hitch. We had 18 entrantants in categories for Sculling shells, Wherries,
Here is the winners list. We did only 1st place awards.
Fixed seat Wherries, Dories, Longboats and Gigs, kayaks and Canoes.
Canoe, Paddler: Weinmanns: 45:29.84
Long course: Fixed Seat
Single Wherry: Dave Roseberry: 13:57.92
Double Wherry: Brian McDonald: 14:42.68
Longboat: Townsend: 12:53.07
Please note that Dave Roseberry made all the wood medallions for the winners. Steve Chapin gave him some used Pocock Western Red Cedar to make them. Some of the medallions had holes and dark spots which makes them very special.
Long course: Sliding Seat
Over all first : Guess who: Single: Steve Chapin 20:56.34
Photo courtesy of Michael Sweeney
Octuple: Kathy Lazara Whitman: 22:09.20 Larry Dewey (C) Peggy Myre (S). Steve Jeffries, Toni Davison, Linda Deal, Marsha Wiener, Kathleen Sailer, Francine Rose, Linda Johnson
Photo courtesy of Michael Sweeney
Sweep 8: Husky Challenger: 22:52.59 Tuf as Nails – Erica Delma (C) Ann Wiltshire (S), Barb Hager, Heather Dudley Nolette, Zoe Ann Dudley, Jana Filli, Dianne Roberts, Char Wedin, Mari Friend.
Photo courtesy of Michael Sweeney
Quad: Frank C. : 22:29.92 Frank Ward, Cate Comerford (S), Jeanne Costello (C), Rahne Bates.
Photo courtesy of Michael Sweeney
Triple: Melange A Trois: 25:10.87 Martha Pfanschmidt, Kate Franco (C), John Collins (S)
Photo courtesy of Michael Sweeney
Double: Ristretto: 23:29,73 Jim Buckley (C) and Eliza Dawson (S)
Photo courtesy of Michael Sweeney
Double Wherry: Beluga: 27:04.35 Janet Palmer (S) and Sally Gielser (C)
Photo courtesy of Michael Sweeney
GREAT JOB TO EVERYONE WHO RACED!!
THE TAKEAWAY I asked for some impressions of the WBF and got some wonderful responses
Marci Heemstra– Just prior to bringing out the boats I took a long moment to enjoy the army of empty slings casting long shadows on the rocks. The entire atmosphere of the beach, bay and boathouse seemed to hum with anticipation of a great day to come. It was my first race, first WBF, first time in the Quinault, first time to represent the Rats in our community, and first time to mingle with the club around a pizza oven. A terrific first experience, but still, my favorite memory was that moment at sunrise on the quiet beach with empty slings.
Photo courtesy of Marci Heemstra
Linda Deal – Probably the most memorable for me was seeing the post video and watching Steve Chapin just smoke the Oct. Here is one guy and we had 8 healthy rowers and he passed us like we were standing still!! At least we could feel good about second place in the race overall!!
Francine Rose – Boats bring people together in really good ways. The weekend cemented old friendships and opened up new ones. Most were written about in the last post. But on Saturday a gentleman wandered into the boathouse and was shocked to see the Quinault. The same thing had happened to Guy Harper 10 years earlier.
Turns out Gordon Hardy (seat 5) and Guy Harper (stroke) had rowed the Quinault to victory over an undefeated Navy in the 1951 nationals. I gave them each other’s emails – they haven’t spoken since college.
Photo courtesy of Janet Palmer
UW Freshmen after the 1951 IRA win at Marietta, Ohio. (from left to right) Jim Howay, Roland Camfield, William John, Ivar Birkeland, Gordon Hardy, Ted Frost, Keith Riely, Guy Harper, Al Ulbrickson and John Lyon Collyer who was responsible for the medals. Guy Harper scrapbook.
Congratulations to the crew of the Quinault for breathing new life into this historic shell. Jill Ashman.(C) Patti Hoyecki (S), Lance Bailey, Bethany Friedrich, Karen Michaud, Sandy Smith, Deborah Shomer, Marci Heemstra, Suzanne Stewart Clark.
Photo courtesy of Michael Sweeney
Another person wandered into the boathouse. After Green Lake Varsity, this young woman went to Gonzaga, earning them their first-ever berth into the NCAA Championship. She was heartbroken she had missed Kathy and told me what a legend she is at Green Lake. As it turns out, there were around seven 8+s at Greenlake named Kathy Lazara Whitman. But all were fiberglass and all came later. We have the one and only original!
Kathy Lazara Whitman as an 8+ at Green Lake. Photo courtesy of Kathy Whitman
Kathy Lazara Whitman: And speaking of the one and only original. When they were handing out talent, they gave with both hands to this remarkable woman. If you wondered what was in the backpack Kathy Whitman carried everywhere – it was filled with pencils and sketchpads and imagination. Just look at her artwork!
Here is the Wooden Boat Festival through the eyes of Kathy Lazara Whitman. Thank you Kathy!
(Click twice to enlarge to max size)
Photo and artwork courtesy of Kathy Lazara Whitman
Photo and artwork courtesy of Kathy Lazara Whitman
Photo and artwork courtesy of Kathy Lazara Whitman
Just look at these details, but talk about painting a rosy picture! Deborah and I as young chicks who love to work? She did get the Green Lake water right though – by launch day it had turned into a science project.
