(David Pratt photos)
The new hand-built five-person gig Island Star, launched earlier this month by OARS, approaches the finish line about 100 yards ahead of the rival Salish Star (upper left) at the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival. The Island Star crew raced the new boat just days after finishing and launching it.
The Island Star took the early lead, but quickly ran into a problem. The coxswain, Donn Wilson, pointed the boat to the wrong turning buoy. When the rowers, who face aft, discovered the problem, they started yelling to go 'round the red buoy. Wilson, writing about himself, said, "It seems the Island Star’s color blind cox couldn’t find a two-foot red ball that turned out to be a course turning mark."
David Jackson, rowing in the bow (known as position 4), said, "We kept the lead the entire race even at the far marks where there was uncertainty whether to pass thru or leave two closely spaced marks to starboard." The Island Star had to go back and around the buoy they missed. Jackson was diplomatic: "We had additional maneuvering adjusting to the course the Salish Star was rowing."
After the confusion, Torgy Torgersen, in position3, said, "We had to slow down at the turning buoys to see where the other team was heading." Obviously, this cost the Star time, but it didn't take long to get in the lead again.
Wilson: "The race result was great, but the process of getting there included a few detours. The hard rowing crew however soon made up the extra distance and gallantly prevailed at the finish line."
Jackson says "The leg back was a slog- we now had the ebb against us. From my perspective in the bow, our crew just kept pulling, stroke by stroke, strokes without number- extend, pull, recover, breathe and again, and again. Heart wins almost every time. We had lots of it and won handsomely. "
(Photo: The Island Star crew: Andy Stewart, Donn Wilson, Torgy Torgersen, David Jackson and James McMullen)
Torgersen pointed to a slower stroke rate on the last leg, "We slowed down our stroke rate a bit; the heart gets one beat rest." The crew credited their racing strategy to David Pratt, who watched from the shore.
Andy Stewart set the pace in stroke position (position 1) and James McMullen was in position 2. They are co-owners of Emerald Marine Carpentry. All 5 crew members devoted a significant amount of time over the last 6 months building the Island Star.
The crew had another handicap. They were using borrowed oars for the race. In fact, they borrowed the oars from the Port Townsend team they raced against, the Rat island Rowing & Sculling Club.
The Island Star was patterned after the Salish Star and built by volunteers from OARSS, the Old Anacortes Rowing & Sailing Society, over the past few months.