Saturday, September 19th, is official Talk Like a Pirate Day. Our long-time member and friend Doug Karlson observed this "holiday." To honor him and have some fun, we plan to do so this year! Mark your calendar and come on Saturday (or any day that week) dressed like a pirate, talk like a pirate or bring your parrot. Picking up on Doug's adoption of Talk Like a Pirate Day seems like a great way to bring levity to the waters at BIAC. Yarrrrrr.

Conn Findlay is a rowing and Olympic legend who trained in Redwood City for many years. Mike Still's son is named for him, and Mike Sullivan remains a close friend. Conn's history includes many names familiar to BIAC rowers (read his history part 1 & part 2). Conn raced Pocock wooden shells in the Olympics and later leased a fleet of these beautiful vessels to rowing clubs up and down the west coast. The boats date from the 1960s and were in use into the 80s. Conn then stored the boats at his home in Belmont, where they were left when he moved to the Delta. With help from BIAC members, Mike Sullivan came to their rescue and loaded these historic boats onto a trailer. Mike said, “This was a difficult job and BIAC rowers definitely rowed their seats! When I say someone 'rows their seat' it's one of the highest compliments I can think of.” Mike Sullivan loves to help a friend and to give old boats new life. Their transformation will be something special.

Join the 36th Annual California Coastal Clean-Up! Least year we had 38 volunteers collect 1,930 lbs of plastics and trash. COVID public safety rules will be followed throughout the cleanup and you will be provided all cleaning materials. Clean up Redwood Creek, hang out with cool people, and be partner of the state's largest citizen science program! Click here to sign up.

Don't miss this wonderful event! If you have any questions, please contact Clean-up Coordinator Susan Rowinski.

Octavio, a long-time liveaboard resident at BIAC, recently lost most of his possessions and sadly lost his home. He is homeless and currently living in his niece's car. Octavio is a senior citizen and lives only on a small social security check. While his social worker was able to find space in an assisted living home, the cost is $1,500 a month and Octavio does not have any savings. The BIAC community can make a difference. Learn more about his story and consider donating if you're able. Contact BIAC member Cynthia (email here) if you'd like to contribute in some other way.

The Norcal season starts up on Monday, August 31 with new practice times and locations. You’ll see varsity athletes on the water Monday through Friday between 5:30 and 8am and novices will be on the water in the afternoons. All Norcal boats will launch out of Westpoint Harbor. Land workouts will take place in the south lot at BIAC, Monday–Thursday, 3:30 to 7pm. The middle school program will be starting soon, after Varsity and Novice are in full swing. See you on the water.

NEWS: Parking at BIAC – We are now welcoming back youth programs including Parks & Rec programs and Norcal. One challenge is parking, which has been further impacted due to the increase of RV parking on Maple Street. The city has a long term plan to help the RV parking issue (see below). NOTE: Sept. and Oct. will remain impacted until this program gets significantly ramped up. Please do your best to carpool, park efficiently, and be kind while we do our best to get all our community operating as much as possible during these times.

BIAC has a strong and ongoing partnership with the Redwood City Parks Department. All of BIAC’s Fall programming will be hosted via their site. Due to the pandemic, their fall schedule will be online and not in print. Be sure to check it out or direct your friends to find out about our middle school boating program, learn Surfski, SUP and kayak classes along with special events from family kayak outings to bird watching from the water.

BIAC’s coaching staff watch videos, read articles and attend coaching clinics to improve their skills. Recently, we had a guest coach on site and many of our coaches attended sessions to improve their knowledge. Pictured above, Chuck Bonnici and Tom Taylor. Many thanks to our entire hard-working coaching staff.

If you haven’t visited recently, the south dock area is updated. There is a hose and washing station on the dock, ideal for kayaks and coastal boats that live down on the dock. In the above photo, the arrow points the shut-off valve on the hose. The entire area is well illuminated, both on the dock and approach. There is also a new oar box (thank you Brian and Patty!). Enjoy sitting under the palm tree and launching from the south dock.

Lights! Lights! Lights!

Our early morning and late evening sunshine is waning, which means all boats need lights. Many members have their own lights and BIAC has a large supply. Lights for non-coached practices are stored in the locker next to the office window. (Lights for team use are being stored elsewhere.) BIAC cares about safety – please use lights that are BRIGHT and VISIBLE. We are looking for a few light volunteers to help maintain the lights, please email Alice if you would like to help.

When using BIAC lights please ensure:

• The lid is secure before launching – getting water in the electronics is bad.
• The lights are secure to the hull – ALL Level 1 boats have a bow and stern clip. Level 2 boats use a stern suction cup and bow clip.
• Be sure the bow light is on correctly – green = starboard and red = port. (Stern light is white.)
• When the lid is removed, keep water out by opening the lip upside down.
• Charge the lights post use.
• Do not take BIAC lights home.
• Lights are important and expensive, please treat them with care.

Rowing + Adjustable Spacers

Part of having a good row is optimizing the boat for the individual. One way we achieve this is by adjusting oarlock heights. To begin, sit at the finish with the oars buried (the entire face of the blade). If your hands are too low on your chest, move spacers from the top to the bottom and vice versa if they're too high. There should be the same number of spacers on the bottom.

• Different boats use different size spacers; the new Peinert spacers are very thin.
• TIP: when struggling to move spacers, take out any that you can, top or bottom. This will free up the oarlock to move the spacers where you actually want them.
• Notice how thin a spacer is and yet it has a large impact on the boat feel.

I have noticed an uptick in “lifestyle injuries” in my clinic since shelter-in-place began. We are on video conferences so much that the word Zoom has become a verb. And I do not mean zoom in the sense that you just saw your teammate zoom past you in a boat.

If you have been taking advantage of being able to go out in a single, you are probably doing better than most. But you will still be at risk for injuries if you then go home and sit through the majority of your work day. One of the things I recommend to my patients is to set up at least two work stations in their homes with one of those being a standing workstation. This could be as simple as moving your laptop to the kitchen counter for some time while you work. Ergonomics at your workstation matters the same way technique matters in the boat: poor technique and poor ergonomics can set you up for injury and decrease your efficiency.

Members of BIAC not only have fabulous year-round water access, but we also have so many ways to enjoy our beautiful SF Bay! A great app for tides and weather that is also great on the Apple Watch is Tide Charts. With this valuable information at your fingertips, you can make informed decisions on the best way to explore our waters.

Plan your trip and use the tides to help you. If the tide is going out during your outing, do not go out as far so that you have energy to row/paddle against the tide on the way home. If you are a beginner or learning a new sport, consider hitting the water when the tide is coming in, so that nature will help “bring you home.” Most importantly, stay safe by knowing your abilities and limits, use the buddy system, and sign in and out of the dock log.

Check the wind as well as the tide and enjoy the water at almost any time:

• Low wind, 0 - 8 mph – perfect for 1x sculling, SUP, kayak, and for novices in open water boats.
• Winds are picking up, 8 - 20 mph – it is a wonderful opportunity to take out open water boats or surfski. (You must be certified for surfski through BIAC.)
• With your BIAC membership and equipment fees, you can get on the water for a workout nearly any time of day!