I enjoy covering the log canoe racing on this blog as I've done
here and
here. I know a couple of the players and usually get a blow by blow run down of the regattas as the season progresses.
Sean Smith has been a regular on Island Blossom for several years. This year Bob Ames joins the crew when he can. Bob recently purchased a GoPro waterproof video camera and shot an amazing video of the first race of the season. Reports from that weekend had Saturday's wind at 5-15 with large shifts. We get to see the boardmen working hard in tough up and down conditions to keep these over canvassed craft upright. We also get to see the crew cooling off in the tepid summer waters of the Miles River.
Some things to look for in the video;
- I've been told that at the 3:13 mark we get to see the squelcher's handshake.
- The number on the foresail is the year the log canoe was built. In Island Blossom's case it was 1892. Of course, these log canoes have been rebuilt and rebuilt over the years. These are not inexpensive to campaign for the owners.
- I'll have to ask what the hand signals from the jib trimmer means.
Island Blossom Log Canoe from B. A. on Vimeo.
As we close out the Fourth of July weekend, log canoe racing is truly one of America's enduring heritages.
My guess on the hand signals is that the jib trimmer can see the tell-tales on his sail and the helmsman can't.
ReplyDeleteDon't worry, be happy!
P.S,
Maybe the story of the lost sail bag has a moral - your own boat would have been much faster after all (and much, much prettier).
WHO ARE YOU??? How do you know about squelches and the handshake?!?!? I don't recall seeing you at any of the boardman's meetings.....
ReplyDeleteAnonymous,
ReplyDeleteIf you get any Boardmen "in their cups" especially on a pile of 10 oz. Bud, the secrets will be revealed, one by one.
And, as you know, a squelcher, is not a Boardmen. Anyone (like a squelcher, sail trimmer, skipper) stuck near or on the canoe is of a lower class than a boardmen.