News & Comment
1/8/12
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Better Angel Rowing Endeavors, LLC 11/29/11 Don Costello, one of the first owners of a Port Townsend-built Classic Cedar Single Racing Shell, has started a website to "advocate rowing and rowers". He also explains the choice of "Better Angel" as the name for his prized Cedar Single. Read Don's Travelogue. |
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Forget Everything You've Heard About Style - Just Row at 50 Strokes per Minute. |
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11/9/11 On the way to Head of the Lake - where Steve Chapin and Robert Meenk each rowed one of Steve's Port Townsend-built Classic Cedar Single Racing Shells (See the results) - we got talking about the difference between a "Standard" Pocock hull shape and a "Teardrop". The "Teardrop", we knew, was designed specifically for Joe Burk by George Pocock and is a little fuller in bow and narrower in the stern. I didn't know much about Joe Burk except that he coached at Penn and later rowed with Harry Parker who coached at Harvard. I just assumed he hung out in bow so needed a little more buoyancy up there. Then John Robinson chimed in and said that Joe used to row at 50 strokes per minute! And that got me looking for more about Joe. |
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Well, talk about squaring up early or flip catching, Joe Burk was from a different planet - "had his own style", said the commentator as he obliterated the record in the Diamond Skulls at Henley in 1938. For an interesting article on Joe Burk and on rowing history read the article on Joe Burk by Peter Mallory at www.row2k.com. |
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Used Pocock Cedar Singles For Sale 5/15/11 There are some great used Pocock Cedar Singles for sale at excellent prices. The McLean boat just got a full price offer. Don't miss out. Take a look at the listings. |
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Discussion We've added a discussion page so we can share the interesting letters, pictures and email messages we get. Click here.
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"A History of World Rowing" Peter Mallory is writing a most authoritative work on the subject of rowing. The book, "A History of World Rowing" in four volumes is being serialized on www.rowperfect.co.uk Peter's own website is www.rowingevolution.com. Definitely worth a look - and, to make it easy, I have posted his chapters on the Pococks and the University of Washington Dynasty here. |
 ErnestBarry - "the greatest who ever rowed" - G Pocock |
The Ultimate Gift - a Classic Cedar Shell
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A Pocock Cedar Single shell, built in Port Townsend by Steve Chapin, is featured in the Eddie Bauer Christmas Catalog. Get one for each of your loved ones.
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Stan & Frank in Steve's shop during WBF, 2010
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Classic Cedar Single Race Boat "It is the best boat I have ever rowed."
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August 16, 2010 Two of my friends and fellow Willamette Rowing Club members rowed my Pocock Cedar Classic, Better Angel, this summer. I'll document their laudatory comments in articles soon to be submitted for posting on the Pocock Classic website. For now, I'll offer a couple of teasers.
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Don Costello rowing Better Angel. Photo by Dianne Roberts |
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Stu Brown and Better Angel, rowing against excellent competition, won the silver medal in the G men's single at Northwest Masters Championships in very fast time, considering the adverse water and wind conditions; and Tiff Wood, since the 1970's one of the world's pre-eminent rowers and scullers, said about Better Angel after pulling it to the dock, "I like it. I like it a lot!" I have rowed Better Angel multiple times at the Oakland Estuary. The Cal folks and national team rowers there marvel at it and ask for it when I don't bring it down. The Pocock Classic Cedar Single is far more than a pretty face. It rows beautifully and it is fast. It is the best boat I have ever rowed. Don Costello And that's high praise from a rower who rowed at Cal, coached at U of Oregon, founded the rowing program at Lewis and Clark and is currently a competitive masters rower. - Ed.
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Here is a picture of Oscar Peterson (middle) taken in the Hudson Boat shop in 2007. Oscar worked in Forks and personally selected and milled the old growth cedar for George Pocock years ago. Steve C. has some of those cedar cants. Oscar is a friend of mine and is great guy. He and I came to PT a couple years ago for him to meet Steve and see what Steve was doing.
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Oscar Peterson, Steve Chapin, Sam Baker, Stan Pocock & Frank Cunningham, 2010
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If you go to the book store and look for the following books, you will see Oscar: "Gods and Goblins" by Smitty Parratt. Oscar is on the cover.... a picture of him on his horse on the High Divide after he just returned home from WWII. "High Divide" by Gary and Glynda Peterson, Oscars children. Story about his mother, Mini Peterson, a pioneer packer in the Olympics. Sam
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News 4/16/08 News 10/10/07 |
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