I've always had a soft spot for scows. If you've read my profile, you will note that I sailed the 18' Y-flyer scow as a teenager. As an adult I sailed an Australian scow Moth in the now defunct U.S. Modern Moth division for several years. The following is a YouTube of A-scows, the Big Daddy of U.S scow classes at 38' length. I've sailed on MC scows and E-scows but never had a chance to ride on a A. The YouTube video is an excerpt from a longer professionally made film and gives a good idea on the speed of these beasts. If you listen, you can hear the unique thump, thump of a scow shape as it goes through waves.
Bob Turner, born of South Carolina, sailor of Y-flyers, made a go of getting an E-scow fleet on the Chesapeake. I thought he was crazy since the Bay is notorious for a short chop but then I realized that most regattas take place in the rivers feeding the Bay. These were perfect Scow locales but for whatever reason the E-scow didn't achieve permanence here on the Chesapeake Bay. There is still a strong fleet in Barnegat Bay, NJ, about a 4 hour drive North of Annapolis.
No comments:
Post a Comment