Rowing from Newport Beach to Dana Point and BACK in a river four.

Last night my friend Val called me and said he would be rowing in a river coxed four from the Newport Aquatic Center to the Dana Point Harbor which is approximately 20 miles along the California coastline. His group is using a wider four that has room for a fifth rower who steers the boat who can be rotated in to releave another rower.
This could be the beginning of ocean rowing here in Southern California. It is pretty ridiculous that it has not happened twenty years ago. The only human powered crafts are those slow Hawaiian outriggers.
I will check in again when I hear how they did.
I hope you all are having a great Sunday.

Sunday evening I received a text message from VAL. He is texting because his phone is on the fritz and in a week his phone plan runs out and will then get a new phone.

I thought that he was going to row down to Dana Point and then load the boat on a pick up truck with a rack on it... NOT SO!

They landed in Dana Point Harbor, ate their PB sandwiches, had their sports drink and then ROWED BACK!!! On the way down it took them three hours on flat water, which was good because their four was a river going boat and NOT meant for open ocean waters and swells. It took them four hours to row back. Every ten minutes two took turns to bail water out of the boat. By the time they were rowing back the large yachts in and out of Dana Point and Newport Beach were burrying their bow and the had to bail water faster.

In all they were out there for S E V E N hours. I do not questions Val's survival ability since he was the anchor man during our 24 hours relay for life rowing marathons. He did 120 000 meters on the second relay. AFTER THE ROW HE WENT TO WORK AT Sports Chalet until 930 at night. After being slightly late this morning he ran the 6AM workout.

Sometime in the near future he will tackle the 40 mile hike of three mountains here in SOCAL in 24 hours. The event is put together by some sport promotor JANSPORT. The event is kept low key and only the employees of major sporting stores are invited, stores such as REI, SPORT CHALET, and ohters. The goal is not to finish first but just to finish. Val made it last year.

Val is also getting ready to ride up the coast to San Francisco. He will do over one hundred miles a day.

That is it for now.

Xeno Muller, Olympic gold and silver medalist, indoor rowing, rowing technique.