Adirondack Guide Boat racing

Mark Anderson wrote to say he enjoys Rowing for Pleasure, which is good, and to draw my attention to the lovely Adirondack Guide Boats he produces at Oarsman Boats in upstate New York. He calls them 'furniture that floats' and they are indeed things of beauty.

These are not display items, however. Last year, Beth Burchill of Rochester NY rowed one to second place in the punishing 90 Miler, a three day race over 90 miles of the Adirondacks including five miles of portages (which is why most of the entrants are in canoes). 'Brutal', is Mark's description and I certainly wouldn't disagree.
The route of the 90 Miler runs through the stunning scenery of the Adirondacks from Old Forge to Saranac Lake. There are lots more pictures at the race website.

Martha Stewart buys an Adirondack Guide Boat

I never thought I would turn into a Martha Stewart fan - I'm not keen on all that floral print stuff in the house. But it turns out she is a boatie, and has just acquired an Adirondack guide boat from the Adirondack Guide Boat company in Vermont. She even featured it on her show - here is the segment:

I always wanted to know how the crossed handles that are compulsory on guide boats work, and the film clearly shows the way they hands are placed the same height but one in front of the other.

Crossed oars, on the other hand, are much more difficult to handle, as Ben of The Invisible Workshop has just discovered when he got to row a traditional Spanish dorna. Ben says it was difficult to get the blades far enough out of the water on the return, and would not recommend them for long distances. Very interesting.