On Saturday, July 21st, the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum’s Community Rowing program entered in the lengthy and notorious race, The Blackburn Challenge for the first time. Held yearly in Gloucester, MA, this 20-plus mile race circumnavigates Cape Ann. Rowers Mike Crane, Lisa Percival, Gretchen Richer, Tim Cowan, Andrew Rainville, and Mary Hennessy attended regular LCMM Community Rowing practices and were ably directed by Lake Champlain Maritime Museum’s Ben Mayock, who handled all the details, as well as acting as coxswain for the race crew.
This was the ocean-baptism for LCMM’s newest boat, the Frank Beckett, built on site by the students of the Diversified Occupation program. This gorgeous boat, a stand-out in International Orange, attracted attention on the water, on the beach, as well as on the roadways.
The crew and coxswain were thrilled with this first experience in endurance rowing and finished with a time of four hours and four minutes, exceeding everyone’s personal expectations. The day ended with a meal on the beach provided by the Cape Ann Rowing Club of Gloucester, where the team renewed friendships and connections with other rowing organizations.
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