In the summer of 2014, Wes and Willy Reddick took off in Downeast Maine in their Marblehead dory, MARGOLO, using only oars. Rowing is what they do almost daily, so they knew both the technique and their boat well. Here’s the story of their 7-day cruise:
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Harvey Kail says:
I very much enjoyed reading about your adventures in Penobscot Bay. My wife and I have rowed our Beach Pea peapod in these same waters. I agree that couples that row together stay together! Keep going.
Robert Walker says:
WAT A WONDERFUL ” ADVENTURE ” AND AWAY FROM THE MADENING CROWDS.
DOWN HERE IN NEW ZEALAND WE TEND TO FORGET THAT
USA IS NOT ALL LIKE WE SEE ON tv
WE DID STAY AT CAPE COD FOR 3 MONTHS SO THIS DOES TAKE US BACK
MANY MANY THANKS FOR SHARING , WONDERFUL
PS How are the hands ?
Robert M Bernier says:
Hello Wes & Willy, Followed your adventure with great interest; I lived in Eastport for a short time and fell in love with the Maine coast. Sailed and paddled a strip-built canoe to Grand Manan! I now have a small sailboat and a dinghy. I’ve bought the oar-leathering kit and installed, but was disappointed that on the first use the collar became loose and moved because of stretch when it became wet. Can you give me some pointers on oar leathering and also the wooden button that you mentioned in your tale. Your story helps to keep me dreaming – it gets hard to do as we get older. Many thanks, Bob Bernier
Steve Stone says:
Robert ~ Here’s our full video on leathering oars. It’s worth noting that most of the experience rowers I see around here don’t use buttons, and I wonder if they think of them a little like training wheels or gutter bumpers in bowling. I only offer that to say that the buttons will move and come off if used actively as bumpers in every stroke, rather than using them in only rare moments, with your hands keeping the rowlock in the middle-ish of the leather by default. I also see some people using buttons to keep the oar in the rowlock with the oars unattended, but I never see the oldtimers do this. They stow them aboard. Maybe that’s personal preference or sage wisdom. Not sure.
VIDEO: Stitching Oar Leathers
https://www.offcenterharbor.com/videos/stitching-oar-leathers/
Wes Reddick says:
Robert~ Thanks for your interest. Hats off to you for taking a canoe to Grand Manan! I’d read that the Passamaquoddy hunted porpoises out of 20’ canoes around Grand Manan. ..fantastic. I dream of rowing there from Belfast. (but not hunting porpoise) Sorry to hear your leathers came loose. One trick you might want to try before you replace them is to slide the leather down, splurge some contact adhesive and slide it back in place before the adhesive gets tacky. This may forestall replacement. Otherwise, some folks soak the leather before stitching and as it dries it will shrink to a tight fit. Personally I don’t do that. I start with thick vegetable tanned top grain leather, (not store bought oar leather kit leather) mark the circumference at each end of the leather because the oar is likely tapered there, and cut the leather 3/16ths shy of the marks . I use heavy poly thread for leatherwork and pull the leather tight till it meets. I do not use glue or tacks. I have seen glued on buttons and I’m not impressed. My wooden buttons are lashed on tight and stay tight after years of being knocked around in our old boat. Steve is correct that ‘old timers’ style does not use the button to set their oar. But Willy and I do. We set our buttons firmly against the oarlocks and use tallow to keep things slippery. But our rowing style is different than most and our long distant rower friends use buttons also. Two of them just circumnavigated Islesboro from Belfast and back in under 7 hours and they lean on their buttons. Also, the Adirondack Guide boats are known for long hours and covering many miles, and those oars are pinned in place, can’t even feather. Of course Olympic rowers have been bearing on their buttons since 1900 because buttons help put more power into the water. Buttons don’t have to be thought of as training wheels or gutter bumpers. They are a good tool for rowing the way you want to row. If you’re visiting Belfast, I’ll help you with your leathers. Row well Robert!
Leigh Dorsey says:
Wes and Willy, so glad to have finally gotten the full scoop on your grand adventure. So much to be inspired by! Hope to complete a similar trip this summer in Norppa (I’ve already perfected the use of the P cup, sliding seat and all!). Thank you for sharing your trip with such joy and openness.
Joanne Moesswilde says:
Wes and willy, looks like a great rowing trip. Thanks for the beautiful and witty narrative and the lovely photos. See you on the gigs.
Joanne moesswilde
Steve Stone says:
Well done, Wes and Willy. We enjoyed your story of the beach-stranding during filming of your oar-making video. Take comfort that those few moments of misjudging the tides, currents, storms, and stranding the boat on the beach too far away from the campsite… all those little inelegant comedies slowly transition into a more graceful dance with the elements as you get more intimate with your favorite islands, beaches, and cruising in the boat. Comedies still appear, but they get more rare.
Wes Reddick says:
Thanks for your support Steve. I think one of the attractive things about heading out on the water for us is that there is always something to learn and a new experience ahead. We humbly embrace our journeys as works in progress indeed… and those lakes and rivers and bays… what lovely places to learn the graceful dance!
Dan Yuhas says:
Wonderful account of your adventure! I particularly was struck by the harbor pic of the orange evening sky against violet and gray clouds. Thanks!
Michael Bigos says:
Beautiful post. Wonderful story capturing the allure of the sea. Love that this couple figured out how to build their skills and make a safe journey in their extended backyard, which is a world class gem of a destination. And by taking advantage of calmness and the tide, even through exposed waters, that most summer days offer.
Mark Severeid says:
A great tale, thanks for sharing. I love the Margalo figure at the bow. Very good for finding your way and following dreams.
Wes Reddick says:
Thanks Mark, our intrepid figurehead Margalo… she is inspired by and fashioned after the bird ‘Margalo’ in E.B. White’s story, Stuart Little. The boatbuilders 5 year old daughter named the boat Margalo when she was built 34 years ago.
Alan Lasseter says:
Loved this story! And really sparked more interest for me in rowing as although i’ve never tried it. Just turned 50 yo and am in good physical shape, and my wife and i are flirting with learning to row, but we are inland in central Alabama. Lots of lakes and rivers nearby and the Gulf of Mexico is only a few hours away. We have considered sailing in a small’ish shoal draft style boat because we love to camp and want to spend more time on the water. If any of you has any suggested reading or information for folks like me to decide whether rowing would be a good fit at our age, experience (lack of) and location please share. thanks.
John Florance says:
I learned to row at 50. My wife gave me a clc Annapolis wherry kit for my 50th bd. I built it over nights and weekends in 3 months. I live far from any ocean, but I row “Andiamo” on our inland lakes and rivers. I plan to row the length of the Wisconsin river (430 miles) … maybe this summer. My recommendation to you: do it! You’ll fall in love and never look back.
Alan Lasseter says:
The Wherry looks like a beautiful boat. I’ve never thought of building a boat from a kit but that may be perfect. I can see using a Wherry on the local waters here. Thanks for the reply!
Bob Shipman says:
I’m about to celebrate my 80th birthday and I row several times a week on the Guadalupe River in Texas. The Gulf is about two hundred miles away and I sail (it’s for sale) a Herreshoff
12 1/2 and have fun with a Boston Whaler. But guess which boat gets the most usage?
My rowboat is a Vermont Pack Boat with a sliding seat, weighs about 30-40 ponds, fiberglass and low maintenance. Sliding seat rowing is great exercise for all ages. You really should try it.
Do a “Search” for rowing on OCH website. See “Sliding seat rowing ina Wherry” Good luck!
Alan Lasseter says:
Bob, you’re almost 80 and are still out there keeping fit and active?!?! That’s fantastic! I will look at the website as you suggested. Thanks for the reply and keep having fun.
Wes Reddick says:
Alan,
Rowing for us has been a new lease on life and if I may, our relationship. We started when we were 47 , we’re 60 now and feel better than when we were 40. One very positive aspects of our rowing is that it is a thing we do TOGETHER, in rhythm, in sync, in respectful appreciation for each other’s abilities and shortcomings. Rowing has been good for us to sort of re-learn how to communicate. Also, we like the fixed seat boat because it allows us freedom of movement for snacks, lunch, looking at maps and the all important safe use of a P bucket rather than the risky business of extending oneself over the gunnel.
Also, lack of experience is not a problem if you take it one step at a time, be smart, safe, and leave the egos on the trailer.
Happy rowing…
Alan Lasseter says:
I sincerely appreciate the responses to my post. You’ve each inspired me to look hard at rowing and i will be looking for the right boat for my wife and me. Thanks so much!
Ian Stewart says:
Great effort and looks like a great time, too. I’m in Sydney Australia, and there is nothing like the waterway that you explored anywhere near here, so even if I could row like you and had a suitable boat, I couldn’t emulate your trip. Just jealous!
Wes Reddick says:
Hope you had a good day Nigel.
Wes Reddick says:
we’l look forward to seeing you out there Bill Colcord. What will you be rowing?
Bill Colcord says:
Terrific adventure. I liked the detail about food, water and keeping everything simple. Hope to row with you in Belfast Bay this summer. This article is perfect for Messing About Boats magazine.
Nigel Lawrence says:
agreed; lovely story, beautifully written. And just the story I needed to start my workday.
Joy Godsey says:
Great article –– well written and entertaining. I’m a beginning rower and fascinated by the foot-steered rudder. I have a small dory for the local lake. How can I find out how to ring this type rudder? Many thanks!
Joy Godsey
Coosa River, Alabama
Wes Reddick says:
Joy, Glad to hear you are rowing. The foot controlled rudder is great. Once I built it and used it, I became mystified as to why everyone doesn’t have one! It was my own design but I’ll see if I can get some photos of the build to you.
Henry Reath says:
Wes, two years ago I bought one of Roger Crawford’s16′ Swampscot dories and brought her up to Lubec where I spend the summer. She came with a pair of 9′ Shaw and Tenney spruce oars that each weighs over 4lbs. I just passed my 70th birthday and they are becoming too heavy for my enjoyment. Roger suggests slimming them down, so I was intrigued with your comment, “We’d bought our oars at a local marine supply but modified them by slimming down their shafts and thinning their blades for lightness, balance, a splashless catch and clean release.” I have some dimensions from Roger, but would like some thoughts from you on what sort of plane and technique you might have used for slimming. Thanks, Henry
Wes Reddick says:
Henry, Thanks for the comment. Our 9’ modified oars weigh in at 3lbs. 10 oz. including leathers and our cherry wood buttons. So we’re close, but even a few ounces can make a difference when you consider how many hundreds if not thousands of times we lift an oar on any given row. That can add up to a lot of total weight lifted, or, possibly hundreds of pounds that we saved ourselves from lifting. One element to consider besides the overall weight is the distribution of the weight of our oars. A well balanced oar can feel weightless. For me, a well balanced oar is one that will sit parallel to the water while in the oarlock with my hand on the grip, arm at rest bent 90 degrees (or so) at the elbow, my body sitting upright in the standard rowing position….A perfect balance between the outboard weight and the inboard weight including my hand and forearm. If you trim your oars, it’s a good bet that most, if not all of the material removed should come off down around the neck and the blade. Keeping all the weight you can inboard. Some rowers ADD weight to the inboard loom to achieve this. Me, I’d rather trim the oar, sand it, poly it, and no one is the wiser. I’ve found that a secondary button is very handy too. Especially in any kind of wash and against a mean tide current. This button is located to achieve an overlap of my hands at the catch, one hand directly above the other (not fore and aft of each other as some may suggest). Overlap is standard for some rowers. This technique can help greatly with oar balance and will increase leverage dramatically. It can feel like a new set of oars if your normal grip position is side by side.
A sharp block plane works well to trim the loom from the leather to the neck and I use various hollow planes I’ve shaped for the purpose. The transition from neck to blade is quickly taken care of by careful use of a sharp rasp, spoke shave, and hardy use of sandpaper from 36 grit to 220. For the blades of clunky oars I’ve used , rasp, , belt sanders, power plane, you name it. But for an already well tuned blade like a Shaw and Tenney, I think starting with flexible sanding blocks with a high quality 50 grit grit paper will do well. Off Center Harbor will be doing a video of my method for trimming and balancing store bought oars sometime in the near future. Until then, You can contact me for more info at my website: rowersoars.com ( it’s just a contact page with a few photos at this point)
Row well Henry!
Henry Reath says:
Thanks, Wes.