The 2015 Blood Moon Eclipse Row is organized by the Hollyburn Sailing Club.  This event replaces the cancelled due to weather Fall Equinox Row.

The tides for the row are:  Low Low at 11:27am, 1.4m/4.6′; High high at 5:49pm, 4.6m/15.1′; high low at 12:05am, 1.8m/5.9′.

The tide will be high and outgoing for the row.

 

 Getting Gwragedd Annwn ready to launch.  The wind has been blowing from the South-West all day and there is quite a chop running.  The wind is dying down.  I hope that the chop will too.

 

 A successful launch.  I am rowing over to the fishing pier float to pick up my wife, Pat.  She is coming out for the Blood Moon Eclipse row.

 

 It is still choppy at the club ramp.  The other boats assemble.

 

 Urban Oarsman Matt’s cosine wherry.  This is the boat that Matt rowed in the first Widgeon Creek Row.

 

 More kayaks assemble on the ramp.

 

 Close-up of Matt’s Cosine Wherry.  Matt has rowed the Columbia River heading north from near U.S. border (canal flats).  He did the trip with row boat years ago and got as far as far as Golden.

 

 5:41pm and the sunset starts.

 

 The water is still quite choppy.

 

 I am rowing in the forward station and my wife, Pat is sitting in the stern seat.

 

 We are milling around in front of the Club, waiting for the other boats.

 

 Pat gets an artsy shot of me rowing into the sunset.

 

 The kayakers are launching.

 

 Matt picks up  his crew for the row.

 

 Norah is rowing her Mirror Dinghy tonight.

 

 She heads out past the Ambleside Fishing Pier.

 

 Norah & Mirror, sunset silhouette.

 

 5:57pm, the sun is right on the horizon.

 

 Close-up, Vancouver Island in the background, Bowen Island & Lighthouse park to the right.

 

 We row & paddle past the Ambleside Fishing Pier towards the setting sun.

 

 Either side of the sun, Vancouver Island to the left and in the far distance to the right, Then Sechelt, Bowen Island and Lighthouse Park.

 

 The water is still quite choppy and it is hard to get photographs focused.

 

 Norah and the kayakers continue to head West.

 

 The apartments along Bellevue Avenue, West Vancouver.

 

 The Sun is half-way down on the horizon.

 

 6:00pm, The sun is going below the horizon.  

 

 Barely any sun left.  

 

  I was hoping to see the green flash as the sun sets.  Alas, I have never seen it.  But it does exist.  

 

 Blurry picture of Matt rowing his Cosine Wherry.  The water is still unsettled.  

 

 Good seats for the sunset.  Now it is time to watch for the “Blood Moon”.

 

 Nothing to see yet.  Half of the lights on the Lions Gate Bridge are out.  

 

 

 A party-boat cruises into Howe Sound.   

 

 The darkness deepens to the west.  There is still quite a chop running.  Outgoing tide?  

 

  Twilight reflection.

 

 Still no sign of the “Blood Moon”.

 

 It is after 7:00pm and the “Blood Moon” is in this photograph.  I is so faint that it cannot be seen in the haze.  The moon rose at 6:58pm and the eclipse is at its fullest at 7:47pm.

Unfortunately, Gwragedd Annwn is moving too much to take a photo.  None of the photographs I took after this one turned out.

We row back to Hollyburn Sailing Club for a pot luck supper.  The “Blood Moon” does rise above the haze.  It is faint, but visible.  As Urban Oarsman Matt says:  “It’s an eclipse!  What do you expect to see?”  When the moon is well above the haze it is quite spectacular.  The the eclipse ends at 9:30pm, leaving the full moon to tower above us.  

    The “Blood Moon” Eclipse Row.  Well worth it.

Good Rowing,

Mike