Old Log pages

Presenting a unique opportunity for open water rowers from all along the West Coast to get together for competition and camaraderie, the Open Ocean Regatta has been a high point on the Open Water Rowing Center calendar since 1976. This year, as in prior years, there is an inside short course and a long course that passes under the Golden Gate Bridge, and the event will be rowed on incoming current of a rising tide.

The entry fee is $35 per rower includes lunch and refreshments. Friends and family who come along to watch can get a lunch ticket for $15.

The short course is inside Richardson Bay. It is open to single sculls, doubles and quads, including open water and flat water designs. The length is 5.34 nautical miles (~10 km).

The long course passes under the Golden Gate Bridge and rounds a buoy adjacent to Pt. Diablo before returning to the Bay. The long course is 7.6 nautical miles (~14 km). Since the wave conditions can get rough, participation in the long course race is limited to sculls designed for open water with crews experienced in rough water conditions.

Race times for Regatta
Photos by C. Frankel

short course

long course

Second (and third) careers are definitely in vogue these days, and Liz Stone is in the main stream (no pun intended). This poster for Kaiser Permanente, seen on billboards as far away as Oregon and Colorado, and in several magazines, shows her modeling on Lake Merit in her favorite pose.

In Memorium: Paul M. Lewis 1943-2004

A beloved member of the Open Water Rowing Center community, Paul M. Lewis died at his home in Mill Valley, California, May 15, 2004, surrounded by family and friends. He is survived by Pam, his wife of 40 years, his children Beth Ellen Forsman of Corte Madera and Kenneth Asher Lewis of Alamo, their spouses Keith Forsman and Susie Elam Lewis and his cherished grandchildren Selby, Shaina, and Annie Forsman, Ellery, Leyla and Owen Lewis.

Paul graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and served in the United States Army. After moving to California in 1971 he worked for many years as a commercial and industrial auctioneer. His final and favorite job was working as manager and rowing instructor at the Open Water Rowing Center.

His passions were his grandchildren, classical and jazz music, hiking the hills of Marin County, caring for domestic and wild animals and sculling. Paul was loved for being able to raise the pitch of enthusiasm and good humor in whatever endeavors he undertook. He made a career of being a gentle generous warm hearted individual. He was instrumental in the organizational transition of OWRC. He will be missed by many whose lives he touched.