OIRA

We’ll be cleaning up the erg room and preparing the main building for the return of the launches and boats. Bring gloves and a face mask.

Greetings Orcas Island Rowing friends and supporters! May this newsletter find you healthy, happy, and able to get out and enjoy the beauty of our Pacific Northwest home.

We need your help! On Saturday, May 7th we will be having a work party at the OIR Boathouse from 9-noon.

As many of you may know, our rowing program had to be cut back during the pandemic. Due to many factors: the lack of vaccinations for kids, the safeguards put in place by San Juan County/USRowing/Moran State Park, a concern for the health of our rowers and volunteer coaching staff, we found it was nearly impossible to keep the junior program going. We did manage to get a few adults on the water last summer, which gave us high hopes that we might be able to get back to a regular program…. but then in November the rains came, and came, and came … As you can see from the photo above, a river literally ran through and around the boathouse. Throughout the islands roads were washed away and mudslides caused devastation. The culvert behind the boathouse that usually empties out to the north of the building, busted its boundaries, and decided that a straight course to the lake was much easier than traveling through a silly little culvert … unfortunately our boathouse was smack in the middle of its course !

Thankfully the building is still intact and structurally sound. The park has had their arborist confirm that the trees behind the boathouse, whose roots were exposed due to the water erosion, are stable and will not be falling on our roof (most of the boats are currently living on our trailer in a safer environment). The park has done what it can to clean up the area on the lower lawn but they are currently waiting on permits to finish the beach improvements as well as replace the culvert.

The Orcas Island Rowing Board of Directors made the decision to wait on cleaning up the boathouse, both because we were waiting for the rains to subside, and because we felt that there were others that were in greater need during this catastrophe. But now it’s time to get started! This will probably take a few work parties … it’s all a bit daunting, but just taking the first step will help with momentum.

If you don’t have the ability or time to assist at a work party, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to Orcas Island Rowing either via our website (https://orcasislandrowing.org) or by mail.

OIR BOATHOUSE CLEAN-UP PROJECTS

** Please wear gloves and a good mask (we are not sure what we will be stirring up while cleaning) ** Bring a lunch for when we are done for the day“

As I mentioned before, this might just be the first of a few work parties. Any help you can give would be MOST appreciated!
Thank you!!

MAIN BAY:
– Move everything out so we can thoroughly clean … Shop Vacs/Pressure Washer/Brooms
– All rugs need to be thrown out (we will need to do at LEAST one dump run) … Pickup Truck – Plastic Totes of clothing need to be looked through & sorted
– Castors for Large Table (or at least get it off the cement)

ROOF:
– Roof Rakes and Tall Ladders for clearing off the roof debris (we don’t want to walk on it) – Gutters cleaned/fixed

GROUNDS:
– Debris/Rocks cleared from all around the building (rocks could be used to back-fill behind the building) … Buckets/Wheelbarrows/Rakes/Tarps
– Ditch to be dug along Erg Room Doors (side & front) and then back-filled with rocks to prevent further flooding … Shovels/Pick Axe
– Clear a path to the beach for boat launching
– Check that the floating dock doesn’t need any TLC

ERG ROOM:
– Wall-Racks removed and plywood either removed or cut back to discard/replace ruined insulation

(Someone with good carpentry skills & tools would be hugely appreciated!) – Peak Vents purchased & installed (this room needs more ventilation)
– Walls cleaned with TSP and then painted with Killz
– Floors power-washed
– Mirrors/Windows cleaned
– Castors installed for Storage Cabinet

BOATS FOR SALE:
Restored Wooden Kaschper 2x (Double) $500.00 – contact Tina Brown #360-301-0110 Practically new Maas Aero $4850.00 – contact Mark Munson directly #360-317-8123

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