See the New Solo 14 video

Newsletter Feb 09    By Harold Aune VP

Relaxersize! That’s the new word just coined to describe rowing a Whitehall equipped with a sliding seat and light-weight carbon sculling oars. Getting out on the water while rowing smoothly and quietly along checking out the scenery does wonders for relaxing the mind and rejuvenating the body. And personally after the last few weeks of being on the road attending boat shows, a peaceful workout is just perfect for balancing my own mind and body.

Speaking of boat shows we are reassured that we are on the right track with our upscale approach of combining the latest sculling slide seat technology with our classic Whitehall Spirit designs. Our sales are actually up over last Januarys boat shows by a healthy margin. The benefits are being realized by all those who get out there and get in some good strokes. 

One Whitehall Spirit owner who is really pleased with his lifestyle improvements is Dr. John Degnan and Orthopedic surgeon in Tennessee. John found us through readying Chris Crowley’s book “Younger Next Year”. He’s now volunteered his qualified comments for our monthly newsletter.

See “Doc Side” below.    

Overheard conversations at the Seattle boat show:

Couple of fellows walking by our display and one says “I don’t know anything about boats but these feel really good.”
Other guy responds,  “Well I know everything about boats and these are the only ones here.”

Another couple of fellows are going past and one says “How come these boats cost almost double those other ones?”
His friend looks over at us and says “Please excuse him, he doesn’t know anything about boats.”

Whitehall win’s ‘Best Boat Display’

We were proud to receive the ‘Outstanding Display Award’ thanks to the artful set up by Wilf Lewis and Colin Rolls. We were even more impressed to receive it from Assistant Show Manager Brad Vickers. Brad has the distinction of being one of the four rowers who in 2006 set a new Guinness record crossing the North Atlantic in 77 days in the inaugural ‘Shephard Ocean Fours Rowing Race’. We invited Brad to come to Victoria and sample rowing some of our boats and also met 2008 Olympic gold winner Adam Kreek who lives here and who is now rowing a Solo 14 for fun, fitness and checking his crab traps.  



Brad Vickers, Andrea Guyon, Harold Aune and Wilf Lewis


Snazzy blue trophy for Whitehall Rowing and Sail!


A Classic Whitehall Spirit 14 with Tanbark sails.


The Solo 14 proved to be very popular with sales up over last year in spite of economic conditions. People just want to stay fit and slide seat rowing is ideal.


Here’s a young rower who can’t wait to get old enough to row for real. 


The Show crew, Marie Hutchinson, Colin Rolls, Harold Aune, Andrea Guyon and Wilf Lewis.


Here’s the Solo 14 end of the display. Purchasers loved getting their red umbrellas.

Nimbles Cove – By  Andrea Guyon – Rowing withdrawals…

It's been a cold winter in Victoria this year and the ice on the Gorge has made sporadic appearances since mid December.  Nimble sits on the beach, waiting patiently, with  morning frost on her deck glowing pink and orange in the rising sun.  Ice is for drinks, not rowers.  I am going through rowing withdrawals and craving the pull of the oars.

In the next couple of weeks, my rowing partner Carol and I are resuming our 3 mornings/week, before work, rowing routine and I feel like a kid waiting for her birthday.

I managed to make it out on the water occasionally over the last month and just the other morning had a hungry seal fling itself out of the water right beside the boat! We shocked each other but then he tagged along a while. 

The resident eagles are having duck for dinner these days… mergansers and buffleheads are on the menu.  The herring are running and barbecues should not be far behind…. let the fun and games begin!

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Not everyone needs to have their boat in the water to have a good time. Here my daughter Kes and her friend Sophie enjoying Nimble on the beach.
Andrea@whitehallrow.com

Doc Side     By Dr. John Degnan– Rowing and your Body

Hello all you Whitehall people.  WOW Our good friends in Victoria have invited me to share medical tidbits with you as a regular in the newsletter. This is just an intro, the next letter will deal with the nitty-gritty of your body and rowing.  My boat ENZO is a year old and by GPS she has 674.6 miles and 156 hours out rowing. Butt my 34 jeans are history! The 32 slims are comfy. "Doc Side" will help navigate your transition and is here to answer medical questions. Ciao jd



Here’s a shot of my Spirit14 ‘Enzo’  I call it ‘Wild Blue and Younger too!’
DrJD@whitehallrow.com

As you can see we are expanding this newsletter to include more topics and input from more people. Rowing, fixed seat or slide seat, sailing, and getting out on the water for “relaxercize”. For any comments or contributions, contact   Harold@whitehallrow.com.