I finally got the boat in the water! I had spent some time looking at videos and reading about sculling. Martin had reworked the seat rigging and created a new and very cool seat that looks like an owl. He also made a superb foot board which I will have to post photos of because it is amusing and pretty. I don’t have that in the boat yet but with the newness of this and so much to learn to do, I wanted to give it a try with my feet on the bottom of the boat for balance control and not having to worry about the sliding seat thing yet.
I went over to pick up the boat and Martin showed all the incredible work he has done and also helped me learn the best ways to assemble and remove the rigging. He had thought things out very well and the system is as functional as it is beautiful. I really appreciate the way his mind works, as you may know from the stories of working on the studio last summer. Anyway, all was going along fine until everything was loaded in the car and it was time to put the boat on top. I had taken Robin’s Subarau Outback which is great for hauling wet things with that incredible rubber mat in the back and tons of extra room. It has a rack, too, and one would think it would be just great for the boat, but it was not workable. The width of the boat is just a little shy of the rack’s width and there seemed to be no way to keep the boat from flopping to one side or the other. We ended up putting the boat in the back of Martin’s pick-up and using this crazy fun system of bungees and connectors to make a noose for it and tie it down all around. I headed out to Lake Leatherwood, our incredible city park. (Have I mentioned how very lucky I feel to live here in Eureka Springs and that the natural beauty of this place is a big part of that?)
Martin arrived with the boat a little bit later and we worked to get it all put together. This is when the absolute hilarity began. As we lowered the boat into the water, discussing that it was getting dark but that a nice big moon should light the way after a while, it began to rain. I got in anyway. Afterall, I was in my swimsuit, ready to practice tumping over this boat, righting it, and getting back in. I intend to be well prepared before winter comes.
I was able to get pretty comfortable with the balance and to get a few good consecutive strokes in and feel how it will be such a pleasure for me to row. I rowed and it rained more and more heavily. I turned around and headed to the dock, awkwardly rowing, but rowing and enjoying being absorbed in the challenge. As I approached the dock, Martin asked if I was okay or scared or safe or something like that and I said yes, I was fine and not scared at all, it’s not the ocean! And then the biggest winds came barreling down on me and as I looked out over the little lake, I would swear I saw whitecaps. It was funny and dramatic. I managed to get to the dock and, with plenty of help, get out of the boat and bring it up on the dock. We took cover, dismantled the whole rigging, and discussed the oars and oarlocks and as we did the rain cleared.
The wooden oars I had bought are too short for this boat, which is a shame because the way Martin had made the them fit in the oarlocks was working out pretty well and they looked so nice with the boat. I drove to the house to get the longer oars which the gentleman who made the boat had made of aluminum pipe. They are 9′9″ long and that is the correct length for this boat, but the shafts are too narrow and there is no way to fix them in the oarlocks. We worked to rig something up out of foam and baby bungee cords. It was decided he would get in and row next. We had put everything back together and were setting the boat in the water when the rain came again! Okay, we’ll wait a bit. Thus began the long and hilarious adventure of trying to row between the showers and to rework little things about the oars. Everytime the rain cleared and we got things set up and the boat in the water, it rained again. We had several false starts like that, but Martin manged to row and it was amazing to see how fast and silently he moved across the lake. He found the oars to be too narrow to grip and created some rope hand grips for the oars. I liked learning how to do that so neatly. Once again the rain, the wait, boat to water=rain, wait=clearing, over and over. I laughed so hard. Eventually he got another row and I did, too.
In the wee hours of the morning, the rain stopped for a nice long spell and the lake became as smooth as glass. I took a nice long row and worked on keeping my oars in sync and using equal force on each side. Every now and then one of my feet would slip and I’d bang my leg. Eventually, I found myself sliding the seat quite naturally and decided it is time to get that foot board in and really do this right. Then one of the little bungees got caught on the outside of the oarlock and was fighting me for control of the oar. I thought I could go in circles for a long time and I may have done just that, but eventually I was able to find my focus and my way back to the dock. All in all, it was a really fun adventure. I got some practice, found that I am pretty comfortable in the boat, and learned that it is much easier to manage the boat with some assistance. I wonder if I can get Martin to go row with me every time? At least until I get stronger and more familiar with handling the boat at the dock.
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