‘Day after’ race a challenge for dorymen
Despite helping Central section win Saturday night’s Taplin Bell Relay doryman David Cartlidge wasn’t about to celebrate with his teammates. Sunday morning, he and fellow doryman John Van Duinwyck were scheduled to compete in the Surf Festival Doryman’s Relay.
“Everyone calls this the hangover race because everyone stays out late celebrating Taplin,” Cartlidge said as Sunday’s relay was about to begin.
In fact, one of his chief rivals reinforced the race’s reputation by failing to show Sunday morning.
The Surf Festival race is part of a series sponsored of the National Doryman Association. The series culminates each September with the Great Catalina Dory Race, a 24.5 mile race from the Catalina Isthmus to San Pedro. Cartledge and Van Duinwyck finished second in the Catalina race last year. The two have been racing together for three years.
They also finished second in last year’s Hermosa race.
“A lot of things went wrong for us last year, false starts and what not. We did not want to repeat that this year,” Cartlidge said.
The Hermosa race is a three lap relay around a buoy at the end of Hermosa’s 500 yard long pier. The dorymen row individually out to the buoy and then back to the beach where they trade off with their partners.
Unlike the Taplin Bell race, Cartlidge and Van Duinwyck leapt out to an early lead and were never in danger of of losing it.
For more information on the Lifeguard Dory Races visit www.nationaldorymans.org. ER