Heritage 2007, Race 2. Welcome to gybing a log canoe in breeze! On the other hand, you’ve never seen a happier group after a capsize. (Heinrich Schmitz photo)
After a month off the water, I’ll be back on the Silver Heel next weekend for the Labor Day Series in St. Michael’s. Those present at the TAYC Heritage Regatta last year might remember that Silver Heel brought an alternate crew that weekend, comprising of me and a whole mess of 20-somethings, most of whom had never sailed a canoe in their lives. Performance predictions leading up to the weekend ran the gamut, with some predicting three capsizes and others predicting solid finishes. When the smoke cleared on Sunday, we had a little from column A and a little from column B—back of the pack on a windless Saturday morning, capsize after charging up the fleet on a breezy Saturday afternoon, and just nipped by Lark but still good enough for a third on Sunday. Mostly (but not all) former college sailors, the crew deserved great credit for being quick studies in the alien world of log canoes that series, with the improvement in boathandling manifest each race.
Anyway, this isn’t a debrief of last year’s regatta; suffice to say, we’re back.
Unfortunately we’ll be losing our most experienced boardman, who, despite having probably the least non-canoe sailing experience on the entire crew, was essential in teaching the other guys the boards last year. So we have a bunch of guys and gals with a weekend under their belts, some with one or two more, and some with none. It should be interesting, and if we can somehow manage to keep the sticks pointing towards the sky, we’ll look forward to mixing it up with the rest of the fleet.
One thing we learned last year, though, is that no matter how things turn out on the water, we’re going to have a blast. The gang I brought out last year hasn’t been able to stop talking about the canoes, which really says a lot about what the canoe community has going for themselves over on the Eastern Shore. Those newly introduced to log canoes, even those with a wealth of experience in other boats, take to the canoes immediately. As long as we keep welcoming new people into the fold, we should be able to keep the canoes going for a long time to come.
The Greenhorns 2007. Looking good in red, and rarin' to do it again! (Schmitz photo)
Until next weekend, then…
Tags: Capsize, Greenhorns, Heritage Regatta, Labor Day Series, Oxford, St. Michael's
