RNR TAKES NO PRISONERS ON 1ST WEEKLY NEWBIE ROW

The threats of thunderstorms or the freshening NNW breeze or even the Wednesday night race series was not going deprive, the seven of us from what I had hoped to be a great RnR rowing adventure. Three Newbies took to the salt that afternoon Joy Rontondi, John McIver and Roger Pelliciotti along with the veteran Blue-eyed Viking Jon Hancke who has been on the DL list for over a year now with a prior back injury, freshman rower Robert Keith and the club's two co-founders Paul and Jack.

Paul sizing up the rowing skill made the executive order to split the group. He would take two Robert and Joy. I would lead the other three John M, Roger P and the Viking Jon H. Now let me digress from this narrative to share with you that I have missed Jon Hancke. He had been my afternoon rowing partner for a few seasons now and it was great to have him back among us especially rowing in the stink of the PM where wind and chop played played an integral row in our routes. We have done some serious survival rowing among the sheared off white caps of the bay. "TAKE TO PRISONERS" would be our battle cry as we tried desparately to keep right side up wave sliding our down wind leg back to the basin. And so it felt like a deja vu as I lead my fledging Newbies out into the bay for a real taste of open water rowing. Chasing down the protection of a small lee off Coney Island, found us pretty much in some major swells and chop produced by that fine NNW fetch that originated in Beverly Harbor and was pretty impressive by the time it got to us .Leisurely row HAH. Maybe by our standards, We continued to slog ourselves to the lee side of Beverly where the waves and chop would eventually slacken at least by comparative values. John and Jon, cut the corner to return home while Roger and I being a glutten for more punishment pushed ourselves back to calmer waters off Salem Harbor before turning back. A flooding tide made for a tight turn around Peaches and some wonderful flat water strokes behind Browns b/4 touching the dock.Paul's group also faired well. They too having got a major dose of what the ocean can delvered. Back on dry land and the calm presence of our basin home, we congratulated ourselves on a very successful first week Newbie Row. Next one is Tuesday July 3rd. Come play with us and find out water ocean rowing is all about