YES CARMI, THERE MUST BE A "SANTA CLAUSE"

So how does this story go? Carmi Paris who is both a RnR Legacy member, wonderful rower, cook, leader in her industry among other great things, seems to have an aversion to sharks. She sends me these articles about the great whites at the Cape and in Maine (even though they are 3+ years ago) and believes that they are all around us when we row. We just can't see them. Of course my response is that seeing Santa would be a more likely senario than a shark while rowing.
Well you can pretty much guess where this blog is heading. Yes, readers this all changed last week during a row in Key Largo.
It was more like a sharket or a sharkie. Couldnt have been more than 30". I've caught larger stripers up north. But yes Carmi it sluiced through the water back fin exposed and chased after my oar blade thinking it was a food source of some sort. It startled me a bit and the sound track from Jaws quickly entered my brain. Then it was gone. It now can be said that the capt rows with the sharkies. and just maybe there is a Santa Clause somewhere out there

WHAT I DID TONIGHT- Jay Paris 2/22/10 somewhere westcoast FLA

FRIDAY 60 DEGREE WEATHER

Friday it was 60 degrees as I passed by this flat water scene off Swampscott. In the center background is Egg Rock, about a 15 miler from the shed and boathouse we call home. How many days till Spring? How many more till we launch? These are the questions that keep cropping up in my head even though today it's snowing with 2-3 inches expected.
Don't you love New England winters?

The RnR Adventure Classic

Everything good in life has history and this recipe has its own legacy. A fully fortified meal providing a platform for creativity as long as basic ingredients are maintained.

Ingredients:

2 slices whole grain bread (in an emergency, wonder will do)

1 jar JIF peanut butter (purists will sub "all natural")

1 jar jelly (be as creative as you want, I choose raspberry!)

1 bag Cape Cod Russet Potato Chips

To Prepare:

Lay two slices of bread on the dock, smear with peanut butter. Use as much as you like but remember, the more you stuff, the more you wear.

Smear bread slice #2 with jelly, same rules apply.

Now here's the fun part....stack potato chips on top of peanut butter as high as possible, carefully and deliberately place slice#2 on top and in one smooth, strong stroke, CRUSH those chippies!

Sit back and enjoy!

ROCKNROW-KEY LARGO

Greeting from the Florida Keys. Well it took me closed to two years, but I'm happy to report that RocknRow Key Largo has finally re-opened. And while I only have a couple of beds, a few pots and pans and some other basic living materials at the home, I do have a wonderful Echo Rower and incredible blue water to play in. Feels somewhat like Christopher Columbus. No one down here has ever seen a rowing shell on the open water. Boats pull up asking questions. People wave to me. I'm sure most think I'm crazy. My goal would to eventually start a club here. RocknRow South? But for now I'm content to be a rower of one or two. Did I mention I have another shell for guest?

Officially, the last row of 2010.

After many weeks of not rowing during November and most of December due to strong and cold winds, a window of opportunity opened up on December 30th. The forecast predicted SSW winds at 8-10 knots, 1 ft wind waves with sunny skies and air temperatures in the high thirties. Perfect conditions to give it a try and do our first December row. There was only one reason that could possibly have kept us from getting out – 18 inches of snow covering the grounds between the road, Little Harbor Boathouse and the beach.

Stephanie scouted the area earlier in the morning and made sure we could access both, the boat house and the beach. Equipped with appropriate winter clothing and boots allowing for a dry beach launch we excitedly headed into Marblehead Harbor. Rowing past the hundreds of buoys we rowed along the Marblehead side to River Head beach before returning on the Marblehead Neck side. The scenery was amazing. A snow covered Crocker Park and white roof tops greeted us on both sides of the harbor. Some of the buoys were still covered with snow and reminded us of the blizzard that had dumped 18 inches of snow three days earlier. When we returned to Little Harbor the sun was at the highest point of the day creating long shadows in the snow and bright reflections on the water. The atmosphere was very different from what we usually see during the summer and fall rowing season. A bright and sparkling Children's Island appeared in the distance magically covered with snow in between the sky and deep blue ocean.

In total we rowed for a good hour and covered 4.5 miles. Rowing in December in relatively calm waters definitely offers a fine alternative to other snow bound activities. Hopefully, there will be more opportunities to return to the Marblehead waters before the rowing season kicks off next spring.

COLD WATER EMERSION VIDEO

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1xohI3B4Uc

This video about cold water emersion came from RnR member Henry Livingston
Clink on the link above. It's about a 5 minutes show. Makes me cold thinking about it.
The more of the story is that your life preserver is the best friend you can have