'It’s my favorite race of the year': Hull's Snow Row makes a roaring comeback

HULL – Hundreds of contestants rushed to their boats once they heard the starting horn. Some groups struggled to push their boats into the sea, while others rowed swiftly away from the crowd, but they all had the same goal: get to the finish line first.

Oars waving through the air, water splashing and people yelling broke the quiet at Windmill Point in Hull at noon Saturday as the annual Snow Row race unfolded for the first time in two years.

"It is our third attempt of the 41st Snow Row," Mike McGurl, executive director of Hull Lifesaving Museum, said.

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The yearly Snow Row is the museum's signature rowing race. About 200 competitors from across the East Coast aboard 45 boats participated in the race this year. McGurl estimated there were between 200 and 400 spectators onshore and on boats that follow the contestants.

The race covers a 3.75-mile triangular course that starts at Windmill Point, continues around Sheep Island, passes the Peddocks Island marker and heads back to shore. The race is unique for its Le Mans-style start, meaning contestants have to start onshore and push their boat into the water.

The crew of the Norumbega asked the crowd to help them move the boat to the starting line.

"We need all the manpower we got!" someone shouted.

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The Norumbega is a 30-year-old solid glass boat. It carries six rowers and a coxswain. Pete Feeney, of Bowdingham, Maine, said it is almost twice as heavy as the other boats.

“It feels like an old Bonneville car,” he said.

His team has six years of experience competing in Hull. For what they exceed in weight, Feeney said, he and his team make up for with hard work. His team has been training in Rockland for months, even on days as cold as 15 degrees.

"There’s no bad weather, just bad clothing," he said.

McGurl emphasized the diversity of the participants. They are of different ages, different races and different levels of experience, he said.

First-time participant Lisa Runci, of Warren, Rhode Island, was anxious about the start. She tried her best to remember the boarding procedure, but said her team had only tried the launch once.

“We put our strongest rowers right in front,” she explained.

Ethan Shaw, of Belfast, Maine, has been competing in Hull for more than 10 years.

“I love it. It’s my favorite race of the year,” he said.

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Reach Hongyu Liu at HLiu@patriotledger.com.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: 'It's my favorite race of the year': Snow Row makes a comeback in Hull