Oquossoc Day Boat Show and Regatta

[Fitz]

This is a fun event held in Oquossoc, Maine near Rangeley. Home of fly fishing legends and the Rangeley Boat. Bob Bassett and I attended last year and answered lots of questions about wooden canoes and sailing canoes and promoted the WCHA. Slips available for wooden boat show, free wooden boat related vendor areas, sailing races including boats and wooden sailing canoes. Small boat parade and lots of activities in town.

August 20, 2011 at the former Oquossoc Marina, New Name: Saddleback Marina, Set Up Time any time after 8 AM, Saturday morning, show starts 10 AM - 3-3:30 PM. Wooden Boat Slips available as last year, and land for vendors of wooden boat theme. Cups for the races, hoping to build a good group for the canoe/sailing division and of course we have the open/sailing division. So, the awards are ordered, bring on the boats.

If you have questions, let me know and I will put you in touch with the organizer.

Fitz

 

[Fitz]

A Good Time

A good time was had by all yesterday. The weather was quite nice. These small town summer festivals are great. We had a nice group of sailing canoes for the race as well.

Bob and Jim from Wooden Boats Kept Afloat brought their sailers and so did Tom Sullivan, so we had a race of four canoes. Tom had more sailing experience and used that to his advantage in his 18 foot Old Town HW with sponsons in the ever so light winds of the day to handily win the race.

We had a few sailors who had to change plans and could not come, but this event has potential to grow.

I will have some photos later, but I gotta get them off the camera. The parade division was won by a hastily crafted dugout which is a sight to behold!

 

[Fitz]

Oquossoc Boat Show

As promised, here are some photos. The Green attracted many a wooden boat enthusiast. The dug out was quite remarkable in my opinion. It was reportedly carved in 4-days with a chain saw. It was hauled in on a trailer and launched. It did not roll over as most logs do. In fact, it prove itself quite seaworthy making multiple parade laps. My winter project "Nymph Canoe", that I built for my mother took wooden boat "Best in Show", despite a mahogany runabout, and a Herreshoff 12-1/2, probably in large part due to the number of kayakers in the crowd that voted.

Capt. Fitz and Son Brendan coasted in for a distant second (or so) in the sailing canoe regatta.

Most folks visiting the displays had no idea one could sail a canoe.

Tom Sullivan, featured on the dock in the fluorescent orange suspenders behind 1st Mate Brendan and I had ample time to enjoy his beverage in his trophy cup as we worked our way to the finish!