THURSDAY JUNE 7, 2018 VOL. 44, NO. 21
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VIEWPOINT
MORE DIVERSE HOUSING NEEDED FOR LOT 1
BOWEN BUZZ
BCC TODDLER WING FUNDRAISER DEADLINE EXTENDED
TRUST ME AT TIR-NA-NOG
ULRICH WELCOMES FELLOW MUSICIANS TO BOWEN FOR CONCERT
‘Round Bowen challenge draws large crowd Event attracts racers from island and beyond
BRONWYN BEAIRSTO EDITOR
BRENT O’MALLEY CONTRIBUTOR
On Saturday, June 2, seven islanders competed with 74 other racers in the 18th annual ‘Round Bowen Challenge hosted by Bowen Island Sea Kayaking. While there was rain in the forecast, it turned out to be a beautiful day for circumnavigating the island’s 32-kilometre coastline. At the beginning of the race a strong in-flow wind pushed some paddlers up to a speed of 16 km/h along the south coast. The challenge draws a committed group of paddlers who look forward to it every year. Several of the racers have competed more than 10 times and a handful have returned to circle Bowen for 15 years or more. While most of the racers come from the Lower Mainland, this year there were 10 from Kelowna, Vernon and Nelson, as well as a couple from Seattle. The Half-Island Challenge is gaining in popularity. This year, 17 registrants opted to start their race at Tunstall Bay and, paddling clockwise, covered a distance of 19 km. The youngest half-island paddler was nine-year-old Liliana who was competing with her dad for the third year in a row. Next year she is determined to race the whole island. The fastest single kayaker was Greg Redman at 2:32, shaving six minutes off his winning time of last year. The fastest double,
Community members save general store from flames
Katja Rademacher and partner Jeff Raymond took first place in the double kayak category during the ‘Round Bowen Challenge. The fastest kayaker in a single was Greg Redman, with all winners receiving a pie of their choice from Lime and Moon Pie Company. PHOTO COLIN HERRINGTON
paddled by Jeff Raymond and Katja Rademacher, crossed the finish line at 2:34. These were not recordbreaking times, but it is amazing that winners consistently finish in about two and a half hours every year. Other notable times were Sally Wallick at 2:43 (women’s single surf ski) and Davide Cina at 3:31 (men’s stand-up paddle board). Three prone paddle boarders competed by paddling with their hands. Firstplace winner Joel Perkins posted 4:14, besting his time from last year by more than 40 minutes. A special mention is due to
Dominique Preney, the only competitor paddling in a coastal rowboat. He crossed the finish line in an astounding 2:00:54. And a very special mention must go to the safety boat volunteers for keeping the racers safe: Harry Patrick, Frazer Elliot, David Verlee, Robbie Clayton and Josh Stone, as well as Horseshoe Bay Search and Rescue. The post-race party and barbecue did not disappoint, with a delicious salmon dinner served up by Christoph and Julie of Artisan Eats. The Bowen Island Pub provided beer and the Ruddy Potato came through with after-race fruit
snacks. Deep Cove Canoe and Kayak, Think Kayak and Prone Canada provided awesome prizes for the drawings. All winners were treated to pies from Lime and Moon Pie Company – whole pies for first place winners and slices for second and third place finishers. Every participant received a hand-thrown ceramic mug made by local potter Sue Clarke. The challenge of paddling around the island, the great food and camaraderie afterwards, and lovely mugs, are traditions that bring people back to the race year after year.
A stray cigarette nearly ended in disaster in the cove on May 31. A smouldering cigarette butt, discarded in the loading zone beside the Snug Cove General Store in the late afternoon, sent a nearby bush into flames and risked jumping to the store and homes that were mere feet away. General Store manager Nancy Lee was at the front counter at time. “I could smell something burning, but we’d had some work done on our compressors – I went out and couldn’t see anything,” she said. She’d just made it back to the counter when local volunteer firefighter Eric Michener came running into the store and said there was a fire. People in the baseball diamond beside the store had already spotted the reportedly tall flames and called 911. Customers, bystanders and staff raced out to put out the fire. Lee estimates they had 12 people out there, just trying to save the store. The fire was out before the fire truck even arrived, but locals were still shaken by the experience. “It could have been catastrophic,” said Lee. “Had it been an hour later, it would have been a different story.” The fire happened at about 4:45 p.m., an hour later the loading doors to the alleyway would’ve been locked, and the impromptu fire brigade wouldn’t have been able to react with the speed necessary to put out the fire. Continued on page 3
Grand Opening Party Featuring Brickhouse Saturday June 16th 9:00pm - 1:00am Tickets $20