So before earning the right to wear this year's T-shirt (at left), a few days were spent paddling about the Jones and Annisquam rivers, swimming at Wingaersheek Beach, and enjoying the taste of Cape Ann's seafood (my favorite was the fish chowder at the Causeway Restaurant).
And then, at last, yesterday morning the day of the event arrived and I paddled off from the campground...
Shortly I arrived at a busy Gloucester High School where nearly 400 rowers and paddlers were getting ready: race numbers, T-shirts, meal tickets, and a Skipper's Meeting.
Then all boats and paddleboards passed through the Gloucester Draw...
...to the official start line and the beginning of our clockwise circumnavigation of Cape Ann.
Conditions couldn't have been better: cool temperatures, little wind, calm seas, and a nice ride from the Annisquam's outgoing tide.
Awaiting us, 20 miles distant, at the Pavilion Beach finish line were good food, music, camaraderie, beer, and the satisfaction of having successfully made it round the Cape.
This morning, following a good night's sleep in the campground, some of Gloucester's Sunday Mornin' waterfront was visited on foot:
a two-man dory out for an early morning row...
a reminder of Blackburn's still standing building where he lived and ran his saloon...
a short summary about Blackburn on Gloucester's Harbor Walk...
a statue of Gloucester artist Fitz Hugh Lane...
...and an invitation to step into his shoes and be inspired...
...and begin thinking ahead to next year's event.
Some trash recovered from the Annisquam River on Thursday...
1 comment:
Amazing pictures! Congratulations on completing another Blackburn Challenge! Twenty miles of ocean sounds further every year.
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