rss feedAt Seattle’s Opening Day boating event, a reminder that humans can achieve much
When my family and I went to Saturday’s Opening Day event in Seattle, I didn’t expect any surprise. We just wanted to have a fun day during the event that kicks off the summer boating season in the region.
We saw the annual event last year and, as a journalist, I once covered the parade of boats.
But then I saw a custom-designed rowboat pass in front of us – with two tall guys standing. I thought: Hey, I think I interviewed those guys. The shape of their boat – with two enclosed ends – looked familiar.
I had and it was.
They were part of OAR Northwest, a team of Seattle-area rowers who accomplished something few would ever dream about actually pursuing. In 2006, they rowed across the Atlantic Ocean, from New York Harbor to the United Kingdom, in a 29-foot boat.
Yes, you read that correctly. They accomplished this goal without assistance along the way.
They won a race against two other teams, apparently including a team of British commandos.
When I interviewed them back in 2006, one member recalled how his mother responded, rather quickly, to the idea of the long-distance row when she first heard of it:
That’s the worst idea that I’ve ever heard come out of your mouth.
They trained for about 18 months.
Later that year, when I heard the team was on the verge of winning the race, I started making phone calls. I got in touch with their families. I posted the news of their win quickly online.
Paul Nyhan and I worked on a print story for the next day’s newspaper.
OAR Northwest – or at least two of the original members – is going to compete in another long-distance Atlantic race next year, as the Tacoma News Tribune reported.
In 2006, for calories apparently, the team brought frozen butter and cheese with them for their voyage. They survived crashing waves, ocean currents and everything that Mother Nature put forth.
One member even felt the sting from a jellyfish – or some kind of sea life. They ran low on food. They dropped weight.
But they finished.
Words, though, can only do this trans-Atlantic row so much justice. So, watch the trailer to a documentary from Flying Spot Entertainment.
It’s expected to be released in 2011 – the same year the OAR Northwest crew will be back in the Atlantic.
There were a few other interesting observations at Opening Day, besides OAR Northwest and the array of ships parading before onlookers.
During the Windermere Cup, which featured college and other rowing teams, my son spotted the flying machine you see photographed above.
“Helicopter,” he cried.
I thought it was the Coast Guard helicopter that usually flies overhead during the annual event.
Instead, it was a remote-controlled helicopter in which the owner had rigged what looked like a SLR camera to take photographs of the rowers in the water.
Fantastic, I thought.
I gazed at the sky for a moment and realized again that remote-controlled robotic aircraft are becoming more popular. There’s also that flying blue elephant helicopter that a Duke Tufts University applicant made.
And there were two guys in a steam boat. The green flag on their boat has the words N.W. Steam Society - and online, you can take your mouse and roll over the whistle.
I’ve always been interested in Chinese dragons – so certainly, I stopped when the dragon boats passed. The top one is from the Seattle Flying Dragon Boat Club and the bottom one is from the Seattle Sake Dragon Boat Club.
Yes, I also found the Montlake Bridge – in the open position – to be different.
Finally, from Opening Day, my family and I admired the beauty of wind power – the way sailors used to get from one place to another on the globe.
I’m glad we went.
UPDATE: Josh Trujillo, a photojournalist who works at Seattlepi.com, has more on that flying helicopter with the camera.
