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Rat Island 2018
Kevin Olney
06/24/18 #23301
It was a beautiful day for racing in Port Townsend. Morning clouds gave way to sunshine and temps warming to near 80. A light NW breeze and plenty of boat wakes provided mixed conditions along the 7.8 mile course. The field was rower-dominant, as is usually the case for this race, but there were a few surfskis and kayaks and a half dozen OC-1 and an OC-2.
Rainer Storb and his crew in the quad took the lead early and never let up. This guy is remarkable. Last week he rowed to a 7th place finish in the Seventy48 and this week he celebrates his 82nd birthday by winning at Rat Island. In between races he stays busy by curing cancer.
I had a great race against Peter Hirtle and his partner in a 2x open water shell. The first three miles were downwind with small chop and I was able to stick right with them but as we neared Rat Island it flattened out and they opened up a 4-5 boat length gap. I managed to move slowly closer as we returned into the wind and, with a little help from the ferry, pulled nearly even for the last two mile stretch. My final sprint came up a little short and they got me in the end but it was an exciting race. Guess I need to show up for Peter’s intervals!
Bellingham was represented. Kim and Julie rocked it in the OC-2, Amber was the first single female paddler and Peter crushed the entire OC-1 field.
