The North American Open Water Rowing Championships were a great time. Open water rowing is a very warm and friendly community and I want to take some time to thank the two guys who put the event together: Steve Wells of Evergreen Rowing and Port Townsend local, rower and shipwright Steve Chapin. These two guys spearheaded a great weekend with a lot of rowing and lot of good times including a celebratory dinner honoring septuagenarian rower, Rainer Storb. I think Rainer should probably be a role model for everyone. I first met him five years ago when he was 70 and have over the years been on the losing end to him and his rowing partner Todd Silver on more than one distance-rowing race. If ever there were an example of “old man” strength, he is it. On top of that he is one of the founding and still very active scientists at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center here in Seattle as well as a host of other accomplishments that he would casually brush off in his quiet and slightly self-deprecating manner. Sound Rowers (the open water organization here in Puget sound) has a lot of people like this: Fun, quiet, well spoken and very accomplished.
Its examples like these in my life that make rowing the ocean seem easy. I don’t mean in any way to minimize the achievement but all rowing the ocean amounts to is work, and if you like rowing its fun work. This group of folks are full of people who have worked very hard in all aspects of their life and it makes what we go out to do seem that much easier. So once more, a big thanks to Steve Wells and Steve Chapin for helping once again to bring together a great group of people that we were proud to be a part of that weekend.