Down by the Bay, Part Deux

Well, it's been a while & I'm still rowing!
Or was, rather, until the season ended a few weeks ago.
This blog is about to morph into something else... although I'm not quite sure what that is.
For now, an update on the rowing thing.
After the last post I finished my training with my Crazy crew & we braved a cold and rainy Saturday in July for our first regatta. It was miserable. We were frozen & soaking wet, but I kept telling myself that as long as we didnt' come in dead last it would be worth it.
We came in dead last.
Somehow, though, perhaps I'm just a glutton for punnishment, I signed on for another season. Practices went smoothly, although there were a few nights when we could not get out on the water, and in the end we came in FIRST! (in our class... which was the bottom class... which makes us the best of the worst!... which is better than last year!)
I suppose I was lured by our success, so I joined on for the rest of the summer to keep on rowing with the McMaster (university) crew.
It was AWESOME. I had a fantastic summer & have many stories to tell. I'm completely hooked.
But for now I have to wait until winter has passed and spring has thawed the bay before I can once again venture forth.
Until then, I have many more adventures in the makes.
Please stay tuned & remember to comment regularly!

A Thing for Shoes

(This is a late post from the week of June 21st. This week's post will be coming soon!)

It was a beautiful evening down by the bay, and we were all full of energy and ready to go. We set off with relatively ease, until our coach asked me to adjust my shoes. The 'shoes' are the spots inside the boat where you strap in your feet. They can be adjusted forward and backward to accommodate for the length of your legs. Mine are apparently shorter than the builder had imagined, and a few strokes out into the bay I was asked to adjust them some more. Imagine this:
You're sitting on a seat that slides up and down the boat with ease, and the only control you have is with your legs. Moving about in the very tippy boat is not an easy thing, and once those feet are unstrapped, you are holding your breath to move very, very carefully. The bottom of the boat is very thin - you can not step on it. So you have to find a spot to prop your feet and bend forward (very very carefully), loosen the shoes (easy - just three wingnuts to undo) and slide the whole contraption toward you. The problem is, it's actually rather tough to move the shoes and if you're not careful, they slide right off. Which is what happened to me. I felt like a moron, holding everyone up and struggling away only to have to say, uh, sorry, I can't get this back together. Our very patient coach had to pull the motor boat up the our boat and lean way over the side to fix them. It took a while and it was pretty embarrassing.
The good news is, once we were done we got right down to work and were soon rowing with all eight oars. Not all in time, mind you, but we were definitely moving.
After an hour or so on the water I had caught enough crabs (some of them the ferocious man eating type) to open a fish market, but again, as annoying as that is, I was thrilled that we were actually moving fast enough for it to be a problem!
By the time we docked I was sweating and tired and feeling great. I know I worked hard because I could barely hang on to the boat as we were hauling it out and putting it away.
Things are definitely looking up! We have a long way to go, but I predict that we will at least finish the race!
Thanks for checking in & don't forget to pledge our team!

Catching Crabs

Unless you're talking fresh seafood, catching crabs is never a good thing. It's embarassing, annoying and, in the world or rowing, a real hazard.
In rowing, 'catching a crab' means that your oar did not clear the water as you were bringing it back for the next stroke. So, the boat is moving, you've just made a long pull through the water and, oops! - the oar gets stuck under water. The boat, of course, is still moving, so your oar keeps moving too... If you're moving fast enough, it could cause you to hit the person in front of you with the oar, knock the whole boat out of its very delicate balance and possibly even send you and your crew into the very murky waters of Hamilton Bay. I even heard that you can knock your front teeth out! Yowch!
Not a good thing.
I managed to survive a few encounters with the dreaded crab tonight - and really, I'm celebrating the fact that we were actually moving fast enough to experience it! We managed to row with all eight oars for the first time (we've been practicing in fours) and as soon as I learn to follow the leader we should be in pretty good shape!
We made it out of the harbour tonight and out onto the bay. It was an absolutely beautiful evening! We worked hard and managed to keep our balance most of the way. Next week our goal is to get in synch, keep the balance and, as always, have fun, fun, fun while learning to row.

So, what's the cure for crabs?
Practice, practice, practice!

See you at Carnegie Hall!

ps... that "Make a Pledge" link on the right really works! You should give it a try and tell all your friends!

Reality Comes Splashing Down

Thursday night we arrived at Leander for our first official lesson. We immediately learned that getting the bus to the water was no easy feat. That sucker is heavy! Boat in water, oars in place, we proceeded to clamber aboard and strap our feet in. So far so good! We had a few minues practicing at the dock before shoving off into lovely Hamilton bay. That's when reality started to sink in.
The shells are very long, very narrow and also very shallow - which means that they are also very tippy! Once our starboard side oars cleared the dock, we began to list alarmingly and, I'm sorry to say, we all screamed like girls. Which made me laugh. Within a few minutes, though, with the patient guidance of our coaches, we managed to balance ourselves and take our fledgling strokes through the water.
I kept imagining us slicing through the water, pulling hard and slipping gracefully across the bay. What I saw, however, when I looked away from my oar, was what appeared to be a giant elongated spider tragically stricken with some arachnid disease that left it completely unable to control its limbs. All eight legs were flailing and splashing spastically about in an insane desperate attempt at motion. I couldn't help myself. I started laughing, long and loud, until my sides were splitting and my oar was all but paralized. It was such great fun!
Eventually we did manage to coordinate ourselves and row a few hundred meters out, turn around (another hilarious feat of uncoordination) and make it safely back on shore. We didn't tip. We didn't crash. And we didn't give up.
Next week we name our team (I'm voting for fuscia shirts and the name "Cox in the Henhouse") and get back out there for round two. It's a huge learning curve, but I'm sure we'll just keep getting better and better.
Thanks for logging in!
If you haven't done so yet... please sponsor our team! All proceeds go to the Heart and Stroke foundation. Just click the link on the right! It's fun! It's easy! It's for a good cause!
Check in next week for more fun and games Down by the Bay!

PS... if you've tried to leave a comment in the past but didn't have an account, I've changed the settings so that anyone can leave a comment now. So let us know you dropped by! Thanks!

Orientation Night

Last Thursday our crew met face to face for the first time for our mandatory orientation at Leander Boat Club. Here we quickly learned that our participation meant more than just sitting and row, row, rowing merrily along. We actually have to work! There are no boat club caddies waiting to hold our little boat steady as we all climb safely aboard. We'll not only have to learn how to row the boat, but how to manhandle it out of the shed and into the water. If you aren't familiar with rowing shells, they're about 18" wide and as long as a bus. Very elegant on the water, very awkward out of the water. Should be fun!
Tomorrow is our first real lesson, so be sure to check in soon to hear all about it.
And while you're here, maybe you'll want to check out that pledge button over there on the right! We're off to a great start, but we could still use your support! Remember, all funds go to the Heart and Stroke Foundation. I've even waived my prize package, so you won't just be helping me get that awesome water bottle and t-shirt!
Thanks for logging in!

Webers wobble, we just hope they don't drown!

Welcome to Down by the Bay, the official bog of the yet unnamed Weber crew. We are a group of ten Hamilton area women participating in the Hamilton Heart and Stroke Foundation's Fit for Heart event. Over the next 8 weeks we will be learning the finer points of rowing - particularly how NOT to take a dunk in the murky waters of Hamilton Bay. At the end of July, we will join other area teams for the Fit for Heart regatta. The goal of the event is to raise $35,000 while getting fit and having a blast. If last night's orientation was any indication, there are sure to be laughs aplenty over the next few months!
Details of the orientation night will be coming soon, as will regular updates of our team's progress.
Thanks for logging in! Please leave us a comment, or, better yet, send a donation to Heart and Stroke via the link on the right.