The Sound Rowers and Paddlers Club held the second annual Squaxin Island Race

The second annual Squaxin Island Race was held Saturday, April 15, by the Sound Rowers and Paddlers Club. The race started out of Boston Harbor Marina, with the start and finish lines close to the Dofflemyer Point Lighthouse. The racers traveled from the states of California, Oregon and Washington.

Human-powered water craft

42 entries competed with many forms of human-powered water craft:

• Standup paddle boards (7 of them)
• 1, 2, and 4-person rowing vessels
• 1, 2, and 6-person outrigger canoes
• 1 and 2-person kayaks
• A pedal boat
• A 3-person canoe

Two courses

13-mile course that ran around Squaxin Island

8-mile course around Hope Island

The Squaxin Island course

Theresa Batty and Charles Delaporte took first place, racing in their double rowing shell, for a time of 1:34:45. They beat last year’s champion of Rainer Storb and their crew in a 4-person rowing shell.

In the “hotly contested standup paddleboard category,” according to Squaxin Island Race Director Rod Sternagel, Travis Boothe was first place at 2:23:42, three more followed within the next minute.

The Hope Island course had John Heater leading the way in his single rowing shell and finished at 1:11:09.

The Thurston County Sheriff’s office and the Olympia Outboard Club provided the safety launches, and the Boston Harbor Marina provided the lunches.

The Sound Rowers and Paddlers Club hosts 14 races through the year around the state.

The club also hosts the race on July 8, that starts and finishes at the Swantown Marina in Olympia.

To learn more about the races and to see more of the race results, click here.