Those strange little puppies up there that look like kites… that’s exactly what the canoe sailors call them; no bs terms here. However, given the less than reliable righting moment available to the log canoes, some of the sail configurations would best be described as intriguing. All that sail (and weight) up high just begging for even a small puff to roll over a hull with a beam of perhaps six feet. One or two scrambling out on the boards in time to give battle to changing physics is credible… co-ordinating a dozen frenzied racers?
ends followed by squelchers and in a breeze sometimes there will be three to a board. In log canoe parlance the cry is ‘butts to nuts’ as the crew cosy up together as far outboard as they can get.
Instability Island Blossom (33ft long but nearly 60ft of sparred length) will carry as many as 14 crew on a windy day. The even larger Jay Dee will draft in extra big guys when it blows hard and sport a crew of 18. Maryland summers get hot and a good
cooler is an essential piece of gear. Light- ening ship of the cans too quickly may sometimes
lead to over-exuberance
onboard and sometimes flawed judge- ment, though today most of this behaviour is bravado and just part of the log canoe and Chesapeake eastern shore culture. Log canoe racing has a long history of
characters who sail the boats. Some have worked the water and some clip coupons, but canoe racing can be a wonderful mix of cultures. The best skippers are some- times bold but have a strong sense of self- survival to keep the boat upright. They must be able to tune out the always vocal crewmembers who freely offer advice, encouragement and criticism where due. Racing a canoe breeds strong comrade-
ship and a sense of teamwork far beyond what is required in most modern boats and it comes from an impossible to disguise sense of survival if the breeze is up.
48 SEAHORSE Racing is always exciting and knowing
that the boat can and certainly will capsize at any moment breeds exuberance and a strong sense of team. To a newcomer the feeling of instability is intimidating and it is truly amazing how a dozen or more otherwise occupied individuals can organi- cally move as one, instinctively balancing what is essentially a floating log-shaped boat with a gross amount of sail held up by heavy wooden spars. Even between races with sails down the
crew, with their sixth sense of balancing the boat, casually and instinctively sway their movements, countering those of the boat. Fortunately there are also usually a few women crew aboard each canoe to temper the more animal instincts of canoe crew and they generally add to the enjoyment… and performance. Inattention between races is all too common, though, as the occasional sails-down capsize is a terrible thing (putting the cooler in harm’s way).
Capsize Log canoe capsizes are all too often a part of the game. The best crews can go over but less often than the inexperienced ones. Loss of a crewmember off a board is common too as they are only a spread hand width’s wide (about 10in). The cardinal rule is never to brace your-
self on an adjacent board… This can lead to multiple crew overboard and, they say, if you fall, fall cleanly off the board and
look for a rope or tail of the mainsheet thrown by the alert mainsheet trimmer who perches far astern on an outrigger. Catch that and you can be hauled aboard as the boat is momentarily slowed. Grab- bing another board will surely lead to disaster, though, and a likely capsize. If (when) you do capsize it’s the end of
the race and maybe any more racing that day if your crew is slow. The boats fill as they tip and settle gently on their sides, floating low. With such tall and heavy rigs they do not right. Strong swimming skills are essential and if you are flung off the boards always surface with your arms over your head, so if the board drops on you the noggin remains intact (great). The most inboard squelcher is supposed to hold the board from falling if he can… So now you are in the water among the
famous Chesapeake jellyfish that sting. The sails are pulled down, gear collected and fast pins holding the shrouds are pulled. Masts and booms (sprits) are floated out and collected under tow by a support boat who has hopefully seen your capsize. Hiking boards are similarly collected and taken aboard. The canoe is now easily righted and the crew swim into her while the support boat tows her to shallow water. There everyone grabs a bucket and bails. Masts are re-stepped by walking them
up, Iwo Jima-style, after the halyards are sorted out and the sails slid back on the sail tracks. Boards loaded, sprits pinned
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