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

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 Saile

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 traile

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 rower

Rats came home victorious from the Sequim Bay Yacht Club Reach and Row for Hospice Row and Paddle Race fundraiser on Sept. 3, 2025. The Rat Island Rowing & Sculling Club brought home several blue ribbons and club boats were 5 of the top 6 overall finishers.

Eighteen 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.

Four Rats and two Nails (one shiny, one polished by time) represented Port Townsend at the Kitsap Invitational Summer Scrimmage, or KISS,...

Congratulations to those that completed bow coxswain training under the organization of Kathleen Sailer, co-coxing skills of Kathy...

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...

Cartoon #24

By Kathleen Sailer. Photos and video by Emily Adams. On a radiant morning in late July, RIRSC hosted Seattle guests Mike and Kathy...

August 23, 2023 We had a wonderful row to Mystery Bay. Calm beautiful water (on the way out) on a spectacular smoke-free temperate sunny...

The row to Mystery Bay on August 23, 2023, was a glorious row. As usual, the snacks were also divine! By popular request, here are some...

Cartoon #23

Today is the Day of joy and trepidation for we shall do a procedure which has risks : We will be cutting 3/64th relief lines in the hull...

Cartoon #22:

Ask any rower what the ideal conditions are, and you’ll hear flat water, no wind, no boat traffic or wake, easy water access off low...

The annual Rat Island Regatta is just around the corner, on Saturday June 24th. Our club is planning a good turnout, including two of...

In the past couple of weeks two events happened in my rowing life : One joyous and the other curious. Each has its path to convergence...

March 30, 2023 Hi Folks, I have been around a wide circle of people who enjoy working on wooden racing shells, and have never heard...