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How does this boat compare to others in our fleet? It is the next size down from the JC and DB heavyweight boats, designed to replace the similar-sized Elwha midweight that is aging out. The Fluidesign midweight is meant to carry rowers averaging 165 pounds with no rower over 190. That means it can accommodate about 85% of the rower height and weight that the JC and DB can fit. Fluidesign Elite quad stock photo showing the bow-mounted rigger design. You can see it in videos and larger still pictures at the end of this post. What size rowers will fit in this boat? A midweight is as small as we can go in quads suitable for open water. The next size down, lightweight, would probably be too tippy. Some members will be too big to row this midweight boat, as they are with the Elwha, but this Fluidesign should serve about 3/4 of our members quite well. Besides being smaller than the JC and DB as a midweight, boat maintenance managers can make periodic adjustments to help it fit our shorter/smaller rowers by moving the riggers closer to the footstretchers. How much does the boat weigh? Roughly 115 pounds, much less than the Elwha and about the same as the JC and DB. That is the lowest the industry standard allows. What can you tell us about the Seattle test row on April 27? We rowed the same Fluidesign model, just a slightly older one, to test compatibility. The crew was Peggy, Sally, Karen K-M and Bill M coxing. The boat fit all of those rowers well. In what conditions? We went out in what would have been a “borderline” go/no-go call in PT. We dock-launched into cross current, wind and chop on Lake Union. We rowed through that before we found flat water in the Ballard Canal and continued on through the marina. We did a few sets of powers. Got waked by passing power boats twice and crossed into their wake to test the quad’s stability. We did pause drills and big mamas and river-turned the boat. Landed back at the dock against current, backing into the dock slip. How did the boat handle? It felt very stable. It cut through the chop and wakes well. At no time did it feel tippy. It powered up really nicely. Our crew visits the Lake Union boathouse for a test row of a similar Fluidesign. Special thanks to our gracious host Matt Zatorski of Seattle Scullers. From left: Peggy, Sally, Karen K-M and Bill M. This boat has bow-mounted riggers, meaning the aluminum wing riggers are mounted in the reverse position behind each rower. Will we be able to get used to this design? It will take some trial and error, then we’ll adjust. It will be a different process getting in and out of the boat. Much as it is for some rowers when they row a wooden Pocock with backstay riggers, compared to a quad with wing riggers. Each riggers design has its idiosyncrasies. What else can you tell us about the riggers? Fluidesign boats have a special quick-release rigger mounting system. They can be de-rigged in one minute per rigger with one wrench. How was the boat to carry? We carried the boat at shoulder with our crew of four and flipped it as we reached out to place it in the water to launch. When we returned to the dock, the four of us picked up the boat by the gunwales and lifted it out of the water to carry it overhead. We racked it on tier 3 in the boathouse, similar to what we do with the Buckley, with just the four of us and assistance from our host coach. What else is included in the price of $13,750? Sales tax and free delivery to Port Townsend. Is the club getting a good deal on this boat? The Pocock DB and JC boats are insured for $10,000 each. They are from 2013 and 2015; the Fluidesign is a 2021. Pocock currently has two similar quads for sale: a 2018 for $17,000 and a 2022 for $23,000. Vespoli has six similar 2018 and 2019 quads for sale that range from $20,900 to $26,900. These are the best comps available. How wide did we cast our net to find the Fluidesign? Ron maintains contact with the rowing clubs in emails that are distributed to 90 people and he is the one who found this boat: Quick video of the actual Fluidesign quad in Eugene OR. When will the club vote on this? Friday May 8 at 6pm on a Zoom call. Watch for the link coming from Peggy soon. If you cannot make the Zoom, you can contact a board member before that call and give them your proxy to vote for you. If the club votes to approve, what will be needed next? We‘ll be seeking 2-4 volunteers to travel down to Eugene OR soon to do final inspections. We'll need at least 2 people with experience assessing boats and rowing equipment. Contact Peggy if you are willing to go. Can we see a Fluidesign quad in action? Yes, click on the link here, watch the videos at the top of the page and scroll down for more info on the bow riggers: https://www.rowfluidesign.com/custom-elite-quad/

Ready to launch. Lauren Olsen (left to right) consults with co-cox Bill Mahoney as fellow cox trainees Jodi Stone and Dylan Rauch look on during the club's 2026 coxswains training program. Already in sync. Coxswain trainees Ashley Mackenzie (left to right) and Andrew Rauch with co-cox Kathy Woods-Smith in seat 2 and new coxswain Mark Ehrhardt in seat 1. What ferry wash? Mark's looking pretty chill here taking his crew through the ferry wash for the first time. Kathleen Sailer, one of the long-time coxswains trainers for the club, offers this report: Congratulations to 6 rowers who completed the land class training on April 12 and on-the-water training sessions on April 18 and 19. Dylan Rauch, Andrew Rauch, Mark Ehrhardt, Lauren Olsen, Jodi Stone and Ashley MacKenzie participated and all did very well. They will continue gaining skills and experience in club rows bow coxing, with the guidance of experienced co-coxswains in 2-seat when rowing conditions are favorable. Their willingness to learn this new skill is a valuable contribution to our volunteer club. Please support them when in boats rowing together this season. Gratitude to the volunteers who dedicated their time and facilitated this training: Kathy Woods-Smith and Bill Mahoney co-coxing; Steve Jefferies and Peggy Myre launching; Donna Daus assisting at stroke; and Tom Moore and Xep Campbell assisting with beach support. The collaborative effort made this all possible. Special thanks to Amy Moyers for cleverly snagging some nice videos and photos of the training from the ferry and to Xep for the beach photo shown. Coxswain Lauren Olsen beelines to do a 180-degree loop around an eelgrass buoy in the corner near the ferry pier before having to do a figure eight around two moored boats as part of her training.

For a wintertime project, I was going through boxes of memorabilia, and found some old newspaper writeups of our club. I thought others might be interested in past articles and pictures of us in The Leader and the Peninsula Daily News. August 31, 2005. The Port Townsend Leader. Article about Port Townsend rowers returning the historic Hoh to the Pocock Rowing Foundation. Video of the ceremony was recently shown at Roger’s 90th birthday party. July 16, 2008.  Supplement to the Leader. Patricia “PJ” Farmer, Jim Mason and Jim Buckley make the cover of this special article on living a healthy lifestyle as we age.  There are inspiring quotes from many of our rowers in the article.  (Article follows the cover photo.) June 28, 2009.  Special insert to the Peninsula Daily News. One of the best team names in club history, the “White Caps” was a team consisting entirely of women who are “pushing 70.”  Cover photo has four past members, from L2R: Libby Palmer, Johanna King, PJ Farmer and Marsha Werner. June 2010, The Leader Finally, the Leader published almost two full pages about the 2010 Rat Island Regatta.

To fully appreciate what the club just pulled off on its first* rowing field trip to Quilcene, you have to consider the timeline. The night of Oct. 13, Dave Winters came out of the monthly board meeting and starting emailing members about the idea. Just 8 days later, at 8am on Oct. 21, 2025, some 18 excited rowers were arriving at the boathouse to make it happen. Of course Sally Giesler had arrived early to keep us all perfectly on track. By 8:27am, in record time, the trailer was loaded and we were ready to roll. Amazing. But wait, wait. Then there sat the loaded trailer. No Rats were anywhere to be seen. Where had they all gone? Oh, into Velocity for a pre-row coffee. Ted had a new story about one rower’s water adventure and he was holding court. Ted holding court Pretty soon we gathered up all of the little doggies, the caravan was lined up and we were on our way out of town following the trailer. But wait, wait. It didn’t look good, downright discouraging really, as we headed across Center Valley Rd. We were driving through sheets of fog. Were we making all this effort, packing the trailer and driving 20 miles just so we could have a fog cancel? The thought didn’t stop us. When we got to Quilcene, the fog was even thicker. Popular new members Dylan and Andrew Rauch were there to welcome us and help organize the event. They had inspired the idea and helped motivate us all to venture out. Andrew and Dylan stood in the fog in front of Quilbilly’s, a restaurant now proudly boasting the name that used to be a word that wasn’t even commonly accepted as being polite. Down to the beach we all headed. Slings were setup, but the fog was still blocking any view we might have of the water we had come to conquer. But wait, wait. Just as the boats were set up and we were ready to go, an opening along the shore appeared in the fog, and go we did. Four quads and three singles (Ron Moller, Steve Chapin and Francine Rose) ventured out slowly at first, waiting for enough visibility to power up. The curtain of fog rolled back, and it revealed a glorious fall morning in a tranquil setting, with sharp contrasts of light and the full spectrum of fall colors. The boats built up speed, the sun came out and we had a spectacular 12K row of an hour and a half out to Whitney Point and back. We discovered a new favorite rowing spot. The water was good. The scenery even better. Faithful launch driver Kristin Smith had traveled all that way with us to keep us safe in unknown waters and we all came back without incident. We couldn’t begin to thank Dave enough for organizing the outing, Ted for driving the trailer, and to Kate and Janet L for providing delicious treats. We’d done it. Made just another day into something really special. There was even talk about other future field trip adventures. Rowing to an exotic place for pizza (well, Seabeck actually). There’s no stopping us now. But wait, wait. Where will we go next? Event organizer Dave gets a well-deserved rest and some snacks after completing the Quilcene row. * But wait, wait! After this story was posted, we learned that the club has been to Quilcene before! Janet Palmer shared this story: "The old timers remember! Long, long ago in the far, distant past (maybe 2007) the RIRSC trailer with 3 quads made their first field trip to Quilcene.  The trailer parked at the boat ramp near the yacht club and the boats, with singles and kayaks,  covered the bay and beached at the Palmer cabin on the east side of the bay for a pot-luck on the lawn.  Partners and kids were included and the sun with warm water contributed to the fun.   Quads had to be off the beach and back to the trailer before the tide turned and the bay goes dry." Thank you, Janet, for setting us straight and sharing the story! Want more? Hear the tale of adventure and woe about our third trip to Quilcene !"

If a picture is worth a thousand words then nothing more needs to be said. However, the celebration of Roger's 90th birthday at the NWMC boathouse on October 11, 2025 was a marquee event that merits a description for RIRSC archives (for the record, Roger's actual birthday was October 26th). With a multitude of ideas and plans from mastermind Ted for celebrating Roger, and a village of volunteers to make it all happen, it was indeed the best 90th birthday party the rowing club has hosted.  A procession of the club's Octogenarians was led by Roger, each introduced as they walked from the boathouse to the Octuple, where they set their foot stretchers in preparation for a row on Port Townsend Bay.  Octogenarians Mari, Connie,and Don Berger were unable to attend but were there in spirit. Candice and Jeanne graciously filled in for the row.  As the Oct was carried to the beach and into the water and oars placed, the rowers were escorted to the boat and all took their seats with Roger in stroke. Guided by the deft coxing of Sally Giesler, the Oct was launched, along with two wooden quads. Video credit: Mark Welch Rowing in ceremonial formation the quads flanked the Oct, showcasing a crew mostly of our club elders, who exemplify how rowing and staying active can influence longevity.  Launch drivers Bill D and Bill M, with Ron riding along taking photos and videos, kept everyone safe.  A pause on the water was the perfect opportunity to commemorate the man of the hour and the occasion with singing Happy Birthday. Video credit: Ron Moller Upon return to the beach, the Oct rowers were escorted to the boathouse to change and warm up while the quad crews and an army of volunteers made short work of washing, drying, and racking boats and oars. The celebration continued in the large meeting room of the Maritime Center just in time to shelter from the onset of rain. Awaiting everyone was Sue Ohlson's Sunrise coffee, Ted's hot apple cider, Peggy's homemade decadent triple chocolate birthday cake, and an assortment of treats brought by other members. Two guest speakers invited by Ted shared a part of Roger's earlier years when he was involved as a student and benefactor in the NW School of Wooden Boat Building.  Master wooden boat builder and former instructor Ray Speck, and master shipwright and chief instructor Jeff Hammond from the WBB school became good friends with Roger during his time there.  Ray and Jeff spoke with respect and heartfelt appreciation of Roger's character, generosity, and his passion for the school and the craft.  They shared Roger's contributions to the boat school community and the community at large, giving those attending the celebration insight beyond knowing Roger through rowing. Roger closed by thanking Ted and the "entire village" for making his 90th birthday celebration the best ever, surpassing even his 80th birthday celebration aboard the Adventuress (a hard act to follow)! All of us wish you the very best as you embark upon your ninth decade. Photo Gallery More Videos View videos taken on the water from the launch boat by Ron Moller on our shared Google Drive.

Hi, I'm Oct, short for Octuple. I'm 62 feet of gleaming Western Red Cedar. I was born in 1976. You may have rowed me on a Thursday morning this summer. But, as they say, it had been a minute since I had traveled out of Port Townsend. Well, since 2014 to be exact. I remember my first two glorious road trips with the club that year, first as my Oct self to Portland's Ross Island. "The Oct won first overall and first in its class, beating Portland's Oct," recalled Kathleen Sailer, who coxed. She remembers "tricky roads and turns through Portland into the launch area of the hosting rowing club, but a flawless round trip." A second outing followed with me as an Eight racing in Seattle's Head of the Lake (there was no Oct category). The 2014 Oct row at Portland's Ross Island with Ted Shoulberg (seat 2), Steve Jeffries (3), Jim Buckley (stroke) and Kathleen Sailer coxing Rowing the Oct as an Eight at Seattle's Head of the Lake in 2014 Soon thereafter, in 2015, I was fully restored through a herculean effort by many club members. My official name is the Kathy Lazara Whitman from the Pocock Racing Shells lineage. But then, 10 years passed quickly. Fast forward to Nov. 2, 2025. My day to leave Port Townsend again had finally come, and it's probably best that you hear the story directly from me. I was de-rigged and loaded onto the new trailer, a significant first for the club in itself. How would I fit, how difficult would I be to load, would my delicate overhangs be protected on the turns? All questions which had not been addressed, the final test and last piece of the puzzle to put into place with the club's new trailer this season. Well, good news there. All things trailer-wise went perfectly, thanks to the careful efforts of Sally Giesler (as my club guardian), Ted Shoulberg (trailer driver) and Bob Alei (spotter). Ron Moller, who found the trailer for the club and has shepherded its implementation, came down to the boathouse to make sure all went smoothly. A first group of 18 rowers had gone to Quilcene weeks before, but event organizer Dave Winters had sensed more interest and quickly put together a second trip on a Sunday to allow for more rowers with weekday conflicts. The sign-up sheet had filled up rapidly and soon it was decided I would go, along with two quads. An almost entirely different second group of 16 rowers headed to Quilcene. The water wasn't good for rowing in Port Townsend, but in Quilcene? This was meant to be a learning trip and learn we did. When we pulled into Quilcene's beach, the water was totally flat with fall colors, sunshine and a great 50s mid-day November temperature. The rowers started to scramble to set up and re-rig. That's where it immediately got interesting. They had organized 4 piles of my riggers when we de-rigged, but only 3 piles were to be found! I watched as many options were discussed. Some wonderful offers were made, including one by Don and Diane Bryson to bring us the missing set of riggers left behind at the boathouse. But, in the end, the Rats did what they do best: cooperate in the clutch when the water gets choppy. I just watched from my perch on the trailer as a few shifts of quad rowing were organized. Kim Matthews had brought his Merry Wherry and he very graciously offered rowers waiting around to take spins in his boat. Mary Fortman and Corine de Boer enjoyed rides. One new member, Lindsay Kotzebu, even got the opportunity to row a single for the first time. In the end, all went well. Everyone had a nice day out. New water was rowed. The club continued to fine-tune its ability to travel. Yes, there was discussion about a Master Checklist idea for equipment. Just before dark, I was back fast asleep in my berth at the boathouse, dreaming about future trips. I felt encouraged that the club had figured out how to give me some new life by getting me out. Ummm, I've got a 50th birthday coming up next year. It's never too early to plan something special for me? Well, a girl's gotta ask.

Some of our most daring club members braved a bad forecast and headed off to participate in the first-ever Port Angeles Coastal Regatta Endurance race on Oct. 19, 2025. It wasn't dull. The word of the day was "intrepid." "All the common weather and wind conditions, except fog, happened during the approximately 7-mile long course race between Hollywood Beach and Ediz Hook," said Kathy Woods-Smith, who coxed the only club quad in the race. Course map from the Quad Some 22 rowers competed in 12 boats in the long course, with 25 more racers in another 10 boats taking on the short course of 3 miles. "The start was packed but thinned out after the short course rowers peeled off," Kathy noted. Despite the turbulence, longer course distance and the challenge of a new race, club members Noah Seixas and Glen Eppick emerged victorious. They took 1st place in their double with 56:44, besting the 2nd place double by just 6 seconds. "When Rod Sternagel and Haleigh Werner [in the 2nd place double] came across the line 6 seconds behind us,” Glen said, “they shouted ‘go around again?’ I suppose suggesting that they might have prevailed had the race been another 12K longer. I can't argue with that." Coming in 3rd place with 1:00:50 was Kathy W-S 's quad with crew Ted Shoulberg, Kim Matthews and Mari Friend. There was a bit of adventure along the way, what Kathy called "two unscheduled temporary disruptions." Unfazed as usual, Mari said "it was a fun day overall." She noted the club brought along the Cul8oar boat so that another crew could race in it. "That was the extra push that sent us on our way to PA," she said, "but I am glad we went. It was fun to visit with rowers from Lake Union and Mount Baker, who usually are not at Sound Rowers races." Our thanks to race director Sean Halberg and the Olympic Peninsula Rowing Association for all of its work to make this new race happen. For pictures and Francine Rose's write-up, click here:  https://roofratz.wordpress.com/2025/10/23/first-ever-port-angeles-race-2025/ For complete race results, click here: https://www.regattacentral.com/regatta/results.jsp?job_id=10000

Rats came home victorious again this year from the Sequim Bay Yacht Club Reach and Row for Hospice Row and Paddle Race fundraiser on Sept. 3, 2025, the club's second racing trip of the season. The Rat Island Rowing & Sculling Club brought home several blue ribbons and club boats were 5 of the top 6 overall finishers. The SBYC regatta is held each year as a fundraiser for Volunteer Hospice of Clallam County. A total of 23 club members went to Sequim Bay for the "good water, no bridge, no ferries" regatta to row in a 5K race. The Rats contingent this year included three new club members racing in their first year. Most notably, the quad coxed by Kathy Woods-Smith snared First Place with 23:14. Crew members were Dave Winters, Ron Moller and Amy Grace. Coming in 2nd at 24:19 was the quad coxed by Noah Seixas with Ted Shoulberg, Liz Quinn and Emily Buckner. Third place at 25:19 was captured by cox Paul Carter's quad with crew Corine de Boer, Andrew Rauch and Dylan Rauch. The Medicine Women quad came in 4th with 25:34 coxed by Becky Steffens with crew Meredith Milholland, Kari Griffin-Harte and Lauren Olsen. Only a single interrupted the Rats sweep of the top positions by taking 5th place. Seconds behind was a Rats quad as 6th place finisher with 26:01, coxed by Sally Giesler with her crew of Karen Richards, Janet Palmer and Anne Weinman. Rowing their singles to clock in with great times were Kim Matthews (31:08), Mari Friend (32:42), Jeanne Costello (33:23) and Francine Rose (33:33). Kim, Mari and Jeanne each won their classes. The event closed with a winner's ceremony and tasty chili feed. Special thanks to Dave Winters for acting as event organizer; Sally Giesler for overseeing the boats, trailer loading and unloading; and Ted Shoulberg for safely trailering the quads to Sequim and back. Members noted that they continued to iron out derigging, loading, unloading and rerigging routines with the new trailer, with the process back at the boathouse done in record time. Photo Slideshow

On the morning of August 3, 2025, the club's new trailer rolled out of Port Townsend just as it was getting light, with Ted Shoulberg at the helm and Kim Matthews at shotgun, marking the trailer's first trip to an out-of-town regatta. It felt like you could hear Willie Nelson's "On the Road Again" blasting out of the windows of Ted's pickup. A total of 18 club members ventured down to Poulsbo for the annual Kitsap Invitational Summer Scrimmage (KISS). This year it was an oval-shaped 4000m race on Liberty Bay, with one 180 degree turn. The KISS regatta is held each year to honor Bill Richards, founder of multiple rowing clubs including Kitsap Rowing Association. It was the first KISS race for many club members who went, including three fresh out of Learn-to-Row class. After much discussion, some help from Ron Moller, and a life-size game of “Trailer Tetris” (or jenga), five boats were nested on the trailer, with only a couple having to be de-rigged. We had four boats for Rat Rowers, and one loaner for rowers from Port Angeles. It was a consummate gray Northwest morning, dramatic clouds but only light winds and near-perfect weather, in contrast to the windy 2024 edition.  There were two heats: quads and eights (plus one quad).  Bainbridge Rowing delivered many of the eights and quads used for the race. Traditionally this is a “Ham-and-Egger,” meaning an event where rowers are randomly assigned to crews. The tradition of the Ham and Egg race was started by Stan Pocock in the 1940s to break up the monotony of winter training.   The Course Three Rats participated in the Ham and Egg style race: Amiee Moyers (scull and sweep), Ann Weinmann (scull), and Mari Friend (sweep).  Ann found herself a seat at the last minute with three Amazonian women from Bainbridge who welcomed her into their boat and kicked butt. The rest of the Rats planned to race in the sculling heat in our quads. The top times in the quad class were close, with the quad Rex Clothier (Bainbridge?) winning the class with a 20:19. Glen Eppick coxing Ted Shoulberg and new members Dylan and Andrew Rauch came in second in its class with 20:51, taking the club’s top spot over the second RIRSC quad by just 15 seconds. That boat, coxed by Bill Mahoney with Peggy Myre, Paul Carter and Kathy Woods-Smith, came in third in its class with 21:06. Next in line among our club boats was cox Sally Giesler flying the wooden boat flag with Kim Matthews, Janet Palmer and Karen Richards. They had a 21:49 to get 5th place in the class. Following them were Mari Friend's quad with Meredith Milholland, Kari Griffin-Harte and another new member, Angela Dunham. That boat overcame rudder trouble to still clock in at 24:11. After the quad heat, the eights were mustering and several of the scullers had to jump out of the quad and into the eight, including Aimee and Mari. There were not enough rowers to fill the eights, however, so after some strong-armed recruitment by the eight teams, Kathy and Peggy both jumped into an eight.  So, out of five eights in the heat, four had one Rat in each. (Sweep?  What’s that?  Well, Kathy had done it once before…). The top race time overall was an eight with 18:56 followed closely by a single at 19:11. The event wrapped up with a bountiful potluck on the scenic pier at Oyster Plant Park with an inspirational talk about Bill Richards by his wife. Awards were announced, and then the Rat crew headed back to Port Townsend. Our heartfelt thanks to the tireless event organizer Mac Noyes and co-sponsors KRA, Bainbridge Island Rowing and Clam Island Rowing. And of course thanks to our own crews behind purchasing the trailer (Ron and Dave Winters); rehabbing it (Ken Shelton); pulling it to Poulsbo and back (Ted and Kim); organizing the crews (Peggy); keeping everything organized (Sally) and all the rowers' dedication to getting the travel job requirements done. They looked like race car pit crews while in action, swiftly carrying boats, gear, rigging, derigging and making it all happen. KISS shirt Back in Ted's pickup, as he returned the trailer to PT Mini, we could hear Willie saying it all: "Just can't wait to get on the road again. The life I love is makin' music with my friends. And I can't wait to get on the road again." Slideshow of photos

Four Rats and two Nails (one shiny, one polished by time) represented Port Townsend at the Kitsap Invitational Summer Scrimmage, or KISS, held on Sunday, July 28. The friendly folks of Kitsap invite several of our local clubs to this fund-raising event. The race course was in Liberty Bay along the shoreline of Poulsbo. The day was marginal even by Port Townsend standards: wind blowing up into Liberty Bay from the southeast, cloudy and cool. There were two heats: eights (sweep, no Octs on this course!), and quads/doubles/singles in the second. The course, which was about 5000 meters, required a 180 degree turn around a buoy, requiring most boats to perform a rushed river turn in windy, choppy conditions. Another good reason to practice this skill on everyday rows. We decided to participate in the regatta’s “Ham and Egg” style setting of boats. This term, originating from the University of Washington, describes the mix and match style of setting boat crews. (There is another theory that it is named because the UW rowers went for ham and eggs after the row.) We are indebted to Bainbridge Island Rowing for not only bringing the boats, but also providing coxswains (for both eights and quads) familiar with the course. The effort required by the local clubs to de-rig, transport, re-rig, transport, and clean up afterwards was monumental, making our participating easy as cake. Speaking of cake, there was potluck food available during the whole race, allowing a quick downing of a muffin for extra energy, or a full plate of salads, sandwiches, fruit, and chips afterwards. Aimee M, Andrea (shiny Nail), Mari and Peggy decided to participate in the eight sweep race that got started about 9:00 a.m. Aimee stroked in her boat, with Mari in Seat 3. They came in second in the heat, with a time of 25:38:52. Nice job Aimee and Mari! The quad race was next, with Aimee, Andrea and Peggy hot-seating to the next event. Aimee, Donna and Ted were assigned to one quad (in a boat named Ted) with another rower who did not show up, so Mari jumped in to help them take second on the quad course (time of 22:55.37)! Peggy got to row with some strong Bainbridge Island rowers for the quad race, taking the overall leading time of the quad race of 21:46.33. The Rats and Nails really showed their competence in the challenging conditions. Everyone helped to load the boats back on Bainbridge Island Rower’s big trailer. When someone noticed that the trailer had a flat tire, Donna jumped into action, pulling out the mobile air compressor she and her resourceful husband keeps in the car, saving the day! In addition to Port Townsend, there were a few rowers from Sequim and Port Angeles as well. The Kitsap crew announced that they were hoping for more participation from “up north” so next year, let’s send some crews! More details and photos available on Kitsap Rowing Club’s Facebook page

Congratulations to those that completed bow coxswain training under the organization of Kathleen Sailer, co-coxing skills of Kathy Woods-Smith, and many volunteers.  There were both land- and water-based sessions.  New coxswain's: Becky, Colleen, Donna, Elizabeth, Karen B, Karen R, Richard, and Tom.

On Sunday March 3, a group of Rats gathered to pay solemn tribute to (aka carve up) two of RIRSC’s historic (some might say “old”) rowing boats: the Friendship, our last rowable eight (sweep), and the Bogie, short for Bogachiel and named after the Bogachiel River. Both boats were rowed well and often, and sometimes not so well. This Eulogy is in honor of the memory of many joyful rows we had on those boats. For years, the light and somewhat tippy Bogie was known as our “fast boat” – in calm waters, she could glide through the water and speed past the slower quads of the club. In rough waters, well, it was a good idea to take a bailer. She never enjoyed the doting passion experienced by her glamorous sister wooden quads, but for those of us who liked speed over style, she was often our first choice. The Friendship has been our only rowing eight since the wooden Quinault, the boat many of us learned to row on, was taken out of service. The Friendship had a loyal crew of sweep rowers back in the day, including the fixed team “One Catch” whose alumni include Mari, Connie, Patricia, and others no longer rowing with the club. This group rowed once/week and were all sad when the sport of sweep rowing took a back seat to the more popular sculling. Now, Tuf as Nails will have to carry on the sweep tradition in Port Townsend. While the fiberglass components have now been carted off to the dump, it behooves us to take a moment to remember the rows we had in these boats. I rowed in the Bogie in one Rat Island Regatta, but we had to turn back once we passed Point Hudson as we were bailing more than rowing. We will miss her, but the Bogie lives on, however, because her riggers were saved and donated to the John Collins. My finest memory of the Friendship was the Grand Regatta of the Eights (/Oct). It was one of those days where the sky meets the water in one bluish gray blur. We lined up off the pier at the mill, and raced to Boat Haven. Michael Wiltshire was ready with his camera at the mill, and took one of the more iconic pictures. Despite an early lead, it is my recollection that the Friendship crew (foreground in picture above) just clipped the Oct when we reached the finish line. It was a memorable morning, and a winning boat.