The Snow Row covers a 3 3/4 mile triangular course starting off the beach at Windmill Point, continuing around Sheep Island, past the Peddocks Island day marker, and back to shore. Huge crowds gather on the beach beside the museum’s Windmill Point Boathouse to share in the wild, LeMans-style start, unpredictable weather, and one-of-a-kind gathering of gorgeous boats and athletes. Entirely within view of the Boathouse, the event is as much of a thrill for spectators as for participants. A Harbor Express high speed ferry, with boarding at Pemberton Pier, follows the race course, affording spectators an even closer view of the event. It is also a rare opportunity to see, up close, rowers of all ages and their stunning array of wooden pulling boats -- peapods, dories, wherries, whitehalls, ocean shells, kayaks, pilot gigs, captain’s gigs, and Irish currachs. Youth and adult crews and rowers from all over New England, New York, and along the East Coast will join them.
The 1st heat
The 2nd heat
The starting gun sounds, and the rowers run from the upper beach down to the boats, boarding as quickly as possible, moving one at a time from front to back, and then pushing off from the beach until they are deep enough to turn around. Many chose to turn at the same point, causing a bit of a traffic jam.
After the start of the race, we took off for the beach, which we had admired on our way in.
We made a quick stop for a photo of the lighthouse.
Song Sparrow
Buffleheads
Nantasket Beach was just gorgeous, looking more like the Caribbean than New England in winter. And the surf was up!
Surf Scoters diving through the waves
Surfers were also in the waves
but not doing as well as the Scoters :)
White-Winged Scoter
topping the wave
The waves were crashing against the beach wall and attracting a lot of people.
No comments:
Post a Comment