Yaquina River Halloween

Every year, no matter where I've lived, sometime close to Halloween, I've ridden a tidal or river current in a rowboat to celebrate. This is not a superstition of any kind. For the last few years, the Coots have joined me for this long-standing tradition.

Fall rains combined with spring tides make for strong currents. Which make rowing easy, it's that simple.

How can you have fall rains and spring tides at the same time? Never mind that. The operative word is Rain. (yes, that's an uppercase R)

Which might explain the preponderance of motorized vessels on the river today with warm dry cabins. Some of the Coots are claiming seniority, ie: "I'm getting too old to sit out in the rain all day".

We won't hold it against them.

 It's very hard to predict the weather for this event. Last year, the fall run-off was on a pleasant sunny day. In fact, it was very nice the year before. And the archives tell us the weather was fine for 2009 and 2008 as well.

 Pacific Northwest rainforest.

Look closely, this is not a blurry shot.You can see the atmosphere. (quite literally)

For about ten minutes just after slack tide, as we left the dock, the rain stopped. You will note that as he gets the oars adjusted, Doryman is very happy.





A very short few minutes later, a symphony played on the water. Make no mistake. Doryman is still very happy.

Yaquina Halloween from doryman on Vimeo.

 One thing to watch for this time of year is all the floating debris. Some of those old boom logs lie just below the surface and have big spikes in them!
[When this area was first logged, a century ago, trees were skidded down to the water, where rafts of them were made, to float out to waiting ships. The logs were contained by chaining a perimeter of logs together. These were called boom logs and the chains were attached to them with spikes. Many of those old logs remain today, usually high on a river bank, until high water comes and shuffles them to a new beaching.]

Winter at the Boathouse

It seems there are plenty of people around who paddle and row all year, despite the threat of torrential rain and temperatures barely above freezing.








Just such a group gathered upriver from the Community Boathouse in Toldeo, Oregon yesterday. As fate would have it, the weather was barely winterish. Temperatures were in the mid 50's, fahrenheit and not a drop of moisture fell from the sky.






Doryman was there in the dory cruiser SV Mistral. Though we've seen this stretch of the Yaquina River many times before, Mistral has not. This big dory was designed to explore shallow water, yet a low bridge blocks her mast about thirteen miles inland from the ocean. At the moment, I'm working on a system for raising and lowering her mast while underway. So with the rigging down, we took the opportunity and joined those fortunate who took a chance on the weather to catch the most extreme tidal ebb of the year for a joyride downstream.





Most of November in coastal Oregon has been very wet, with record rainfall. The Yaquina is nearly a foot above flood stage and rising. Couple that with a twelve foot tide drop and you have plenty of current to push a big boat. I have a long sweep oar on Mistral so I can lean back on the tiller and thus row and steer at the same time. Couldn't keep up with the smaller boats, though.







This event was in support of the Port of Toledo's Community Boathouse Project. We were going to have a potluck dinner afterward in the Boathouse but everyone opted instead for the barbeque ribs at the brewpub across the street. Fortunately for everyone, we were the only (25) people in the restaurant.


















Many of these photos are compliments of Andrew Linn, who is the spark plug for the Boathouse Project. That's him just up and to the right, preparing to cut across in front of a five-ton boat.
Better hurry, Andrew!

The Toledo Community Boathouse is sponsored by the Port of Toledo.


The full story, in pictures.....

Live-aboard Dory and other news from Scotland

So, I get this e-mail from Chris Perkins, which is always a delight. He has news from Leckmelm, Scotland that is right on-topic.









Apparently Dan Johnson and Charlotte Watters are building a brand new Badger dory from Jay Benford's design, in the old Cow Shed on the Loch Broom.

Dan says: "The ‘Badger’ has long been a boat of interest to us. When looking at the construction plans in detail, with a view to build, I became convinced. It looked like it should be fast and economical to construct and so far has proven to be so. I plan to do everything myself from casting the keel to sewing the sails".



This new Badger will be the same junk rigged dory design that has earned international acclaim. Nice job, Dan and Charlotte!



















In further news, Adrian Morgan is putting finishing touches on a traditionally built Iain Oughtred Tammie Norrie. Adrian has strong views of what constitutes a well built boat and often uses his own work as a bench mark. He will find no argument from me, though I hear that he has stooped so low as to use plywood on this one. If so, he has a lot of explaining to do!


More about Adrian's Tammie Norrie soon...














And... up there in the rafters of the Cow Shed is a very strange looking Merry Wherry.

This may be the best story of all.





Chris Duff made an effort this last summer to row from Scotland to Iceland in his modified Merry Wherry, which has to qualify for pure crazy. The weather was against Chris from the start and he will make another attempt next year. I can relate to Chris' sentiment when he decided to return to Scotland:


"The northern winds that have slowed me down all the way from Thurso to north Shetland have finally quit - now that I have decided to head south, of course. The south winds that I could have used all the way north have now developed and have been on the bow, slowing or stopping me completely as I head south."




So his boat rests and waits here in the rafters, in a land where summer is fleeting and gorgeous, for another day, another attempt at conquering the northern Atlantic, solo, in a diminutive boat.





Photos from the cow shed courtesy of Chris Perkins.
Tammie Norrie stem close-up by Adrian Morgan (what a beauty! Adrian is an artist)
Photos of Badger courtesy of Dan Johnson and Charlotte Watters.
and thank you, Chris Duff. You are an inspiration!

Rowing

Over the years we have discussed rowing as a means of propulsion, a method of physical enhancement and mental enrichment. You all know Doryman does not advocate nor propound the internal combustion engine in any of it's historical reiterations.




He has a compulsion about rowing.

Today, in fact, was spent shaping a new oar to match an orphan languishing in the shed.





As serendipity may have it, Webb Chiles sent me a note in the midst of shaping and sanding, to ask if you the reader can help him. Webb is a mariner of repute and an author of renown. He has circumnavigated the world several times and has even been cast to the mercy of the sea when his boat sank. If you have not visited his journal, you owe it to yourself.



Webb is looking for input on the use of oars as auxiliary power on a racing dinghy. The boat displaces just over a ton (US) and has a 2hp outboard which came with it. Being a man of wisdom and insight, he disdains the motor. He tells the story much better than I.







In the Doryman fleet, all vessels have oars for propulsion, even those with power. The Doryman cruising dory, Mistral can be propelled at nearly two knots with one fourteen foot long oar, even though she weighs five tons.








Rowing is a passion of mine and I hope to row until I die. I'd like to think you all share my obsession and some of you can offer Webb advice, mariner to mariner.

Please offer Webb Chiles some wisdom about how to abandon that 2hp Mercury stinkpot.

A Good Day for Rowing

The rain let up today and the temperature was in the mid 50's, so it was time to head for the boat ramp.

The worthy Pete Culler skiff, Paku was the candidate vessel and a very good choice, too. Despite the calm, balmy weather the wind picked up twice (each time in opposing directions and both times, on the bow. How does that happen, exactly?) So the stable, easy going manner of the good little skiff was a relief.







Since Chris Partridge has been talking quite a bit about mirrors for rowers lately, I took with me a mirror that I've used while riding my bicycle. The little mirror fits on the temple of a pair of glasses and presents a very small image, so takes a bit of getting used to. The view is limited, but clear. It's also backward (pun intended). In addition, it blocks a portion of the view forward (which is looking back - you see?). A bit distracting at first. I'm pretty well oriented to interpreting the image, but have only used it a couple times while rowing.

Today was a perfect test. I wore the mirror while rowing for three hours and never turned my head all the way around once, not even while docking. By panning my head back and forth, I could get a good view of both my course and any obstacles.



It's the fear of obstacles that brought up this conversation in the first place. At the least, it's embarrassing to hit something while pulling hard on the oars (you always hear comments like "that's what you get for sitting backwards!").
At the other extreme, I've hit an old barnacle encrusted piling hard enough to crack the shear guard and plank, which woke me up real fast, I'll tell you!






Here's a view of the river I row on. Sometimes those crusty pilings are barely above the surface at high tide and nearly invisible. Not to mention the partially submerged logs that float up after a particularly high tide.








The little mirror worked so well that I was able to shoot under this bridge, without looking forward. Both ways! Maybe you don't think that's such a big deal, but this opening is about 22 feet wide and my oars are 17 feet, grip to grip. The hard part was to trust it was actually working and not turn around, just to be sure.

Imagine

...that this place is not about us, never has been and never will be. And the history it teaches us is what we must learn, yet never seem willing to study.

It's rare to see the water this high on the Yaquina river. We planned a mid-winter row in our skiff today on a strong ebb tide, but a powerful Pacific storm came in this morning, opposing the current. The highest tide of the year was instantly increased to flood stage by these conditions.

New Years Eve 2009 from doryman on Vimeo.

This is the launch ramp we regularly use, 13 miles inland from the ocean. The winds at Beaufort 8 and surge from the ocean, this far upriver! And as the tide was turning, this is what we found... The air is saturated with spray from the standing waves and driving rain. One of those days when the atmosphere and the sea merge.
Not conducive to launching a row boat.



On the way home, we drove under a cluster of large trees that was slowly collapsing across the road as a result of their roots being undermined by flood waters.

So we spent the remainder of the last day of 2009 contemplating the power and majesty of nature, over which we have for so long presumed to have such mastery.


Imagine...that it is not all about us.

Oars and Rowing

Yesterday was a fine day on the water for a quick row in the bateau Huckleberry. As you may already know, this is a new boat, in fact, this was the second time on the water. The first time out was at the Depoe Bay Boat Show in April and I used a new set of seven foot oars that I'd made specifically for Huckleberry. The bateau is a narrow boat (three feet extreme beam), but the seven foot oars seemed short. I'm accustomed to longer oars -- my favorites are a set of "Culler style" that run 8 1/2 feet -- so I took a longer set this time.
(A man can never have enough oars! I love to make them and nothing feels more natural in the hand than a loom carved in your own shop!)


This trial was with an eight foot set, and it was a mistake! At first all seemed well and the light bateau skimmed along, even against the tide. In a few minutes I found myself crossing my hands. Not a bad technique, but a sure sign that the oars are not balanced in the oarlock. After a half hour of shifting weight, my back hurt and I was done, time to head home.

The blades I used are light and worked well on the boat they were designed for, which was a foot wider. A small difference, but.....

I suppose the answer is to make another set of oars. Just the excuse I need! The best description of making a set of oars is found in Jim Michalak's work. Jim is a fan of the Culler style oar and has adapted the master's design to modern methods. His oars are laminated from one inch stock, which obviates the need for high quality wood.








I prefer the more old fashioned one piece stock, but adequate raw wood for a strong, light set of oars is fast diminishing (I'm not telling anyone where I keep mine!)

My oars are finished with two coats of clear epoxy and six coats of spar varnish.

Note the different lacing patterns used on the leathers. The lacings on the lower set of oars in the picture were done by my proud apprentice.
Each of the oar sets shown have a different handle pattern, as well. It's good to experiment and find the style that works best for you.
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Rowing the Essex River

Essex, Massachusetts, is a New England town on the Essex River, which empties into the Atlantic. The annual Essex River Race starts and finishes in town, circumnavigating Cross Island in Essex Bay, a six mile run out the estuary to the ocean and back.



Rowing for pleasure, a blog by Chris Partridge documents the 2009 event with photos by David Jones.



























Looks like a lot of fun to me. Maybe I'll have to take Paku, the three station rowing skiff, out east next year for the festivities!
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Rangeley Lakes Rowing Boat

Susan Van Leuven built the Rangeley Lakes Boat from The Newfound Woodworks to demonstrate wood strip boat construction for her very fine book:
"Woodstrip Rowing Craft, How to Build, Step by Step"

Crystal Ember is a fixed seat, stable 15 foot rowing craft designed for sport fishing. Easy to row and fast, this lovely boat can be built by amateurs and first time boat builders using Susan's thorough step by step explanation. The wood strip method has the advantage of being less technically challenging than other boat building methods, but as Susan is quick to acknowledge, very time consuming.

While working full time as a wildlife field biologist, Susan created Crystal Ember and the sliding seat rowing shell Gold Lady (pictured on the book cover) to demonstrate her technique and write a book about it.
The book is illustrated with pictures taken by her and her husband (who is a habitual boat builder) during every stage of building these two boats and the pictures alone are worth the price!


It took Susan five years to build her boats and in the process she reworked the designs to accommodate the wood strip construction process. It's a credit to her work that the wood strip method has become very popular with home builders.

I met Susan and talked with her at length about writing such a fine book about a gorgeous boat and came away very impressed with the woman and her work.
Look at that inlaid feature strip, and the classy finish!

Susan is also a painter who works with water colors. Her sense of color combination and graceful proportion are readily apparent.
Her boats are a compliment to the natural surroundings of their intended purpose.

She builds boats for the pure pleasure of it and takes them to shows all over the west to encourage others to build their own boats at home.







Her advice to women who want to build a boat for themselves?





Draw a line in the shop and declare your own work area independent of your boat building husband, crossed by invitation only!






Her book is available in hardback and a worthy addition to any boat building library.

Susan has also written "Illustrated Guide to Wood Strip Canoe Building".