Saturday, June 07, 2014

Whaleboat Delivery

From its berth nestled in the corner of Pope's Island Marina ...
... an early-rising crew ...
... led by a worth skipper ...

took the Flying Fish (that's the one in the middle, whose oars are not wrapped) on a 3.4-mile journey across the New Bedford Harbor, through the storm gate into the Atlantic ...
... passing some other boats in a motorized convoy ...
... before landing on a beach at Ft. Taber...
... and resting for a while alongside the boats it would be racing later in the morning.
This morning's run of 3.4 miles took just under 42 minutes, assisted as we were by calm winds and an outgoing tide. (The tide assisted; the winds simply did not interfere.) The purpose of this short voyage was to deliver a boat for use by my Shiverin' Timbers teammates, representing Whaling City Rowing in the Open Water Rowing Challenge. Although the same captain is steering the boat for delivery, race, and return, the race crew was able to start fresh, while the rest of us got to enjoy an early-morning row on a beautiful day.

The race was sponsored by our friendly rivals over at Buzzards Bay Rowing Club. And yes, the Acushnet River harbor is big enough to support two, active clubs keeping alive the tradition of nineteenth-century Yankee-style whaleboats!

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