On September 28, under a beautiful blue sky and light winds, eight middle and high school rowing teams came out to compete in the James Wakefield Rescue Row in Burlington Harbor with over 200 family and friends cheering them on from Perkins Pier. Teams hailed from local schools including: Mt. Abraham Union High School and Middle School, Champlain Valley Union High School (CVU), Vergennes Union High School and Middle School, Burlington High School, Rice Memorial High School, and the Lake Champlain Waldorf School.
The race day kicked off with a spirited sing-along lead by Matt Witten, telling the story of James Wakefield and his son, for whom this annual race is named. James and his son, during a winter storm in 1876, rowed out and rescued every survivor of a shipwreck off the breakwater. Read the full story of that dramatic shipwreck.
The teams competed in two races: a sprint and a longer loop out and around the breakwater, and the winner was calculated based on who had the fastest combined time. The teams were split into novice, intermediate, and experienced rowers. The sprints were first, and the novice rowers started, with four 6-oared boats, and three 4-oared boats. The novice rowers joined the teams this fall and have only been rowing for a few weeks. All teams showed impressive skill! The novice 6-oared team from Mt. Abe had the fastest combined time of 17:54. Burlington High School came in second, and Vergennes took both third and fourth place. For the 4-oared skiffs, Rice Memorial High School won first place with a time of 19:59. Burlington High School came in second, and Vergennes followed in third.
The intermediate rowers went next, followed by the experienced teams, doing the sprint and later the breakwater loop, which was lengthened after the novice race for the more experienced rowers. Each of these categories had four 6-oared gigs competing. In the intermediate category, CVU placed first with a combined time of 19:24. Burlington High School came in at second and third place, and Vergennes placed fourth.
The competition was fierce for the experienced rowers, the most advanced category. The Waldorf School and VUHS had a tight race for first. VUHS had the fastest breakwater loop and overall time of 16:52. Waldorf had the fastest sprint time of the day and came in second in the experienced category. Burlington was a close third, followed by Mt. Abe in fourth place. All the teams showed great comradery and sportsmanship.
After the official races were through, it was time for a mess-about. The mess-about is an optional opportunity for teams and schools to shuffle up and row in boats with rowers from other schools and experience levels, and even some parents and coaches. It was a popular event and rowers filled every available seat in the eight boats on the water. It was a short and fun race that challenged rowers to meet and coordinate with team members from other schools and compete for the sheer fun of it.
In the spirit of the rescue of the passengers and crew of the General Butler shipwreck 148 years ago, these students rowed with heart and compassion.
Enjoy these photos from the day, courtesy of Buzz Kuhns.
