Hi

Working on the design and develpoment of an open-water rowing boat,
I have been scouring the internet for some years for any open-water
rowing activity. Worldwide, there is less than one might suppose but,
without a shadow of doubt, Sound Rowers is the star! It epitomises all
the things I had in mind when I entered the field and I'm really sorry
that I live so far away in west Cornwall, UK.

However, I am visiting my brother in Boston at the beginning of
February and have decided to pop over to Puget Sound to have a looksee
and try to meet some real open-water rowers (there are hardly any in
the UK!).

I have been corresponding with Jeff Wittenfeld and he suggested that
I post an invitation to get together in some bar (venue to be decided)
on Saturday 5th Feb ... unfortunately, I can't bring a boat to show
you but I will have some pictures, and some snatches of rough-sea
video, and some samples of its radical construction.

My boat, BTW, is the ROCAT, which you can see at www.rocat.co.uk

with best wishes ... Christopher Laughton

PS ... please use CL@... to contact me, rather than the
address above that I use for yahoo.

I'm posting this as a favor to Debbie:

Hi All,

Hope many of you are still interested in meeting Christopher Laughton
and learning more about the development of his RoCat and what Open
Water Rowing is like in Britain. Without the luxury we are afforded by
Puget Sound and the many large lakes we have right in our urban areas,
I think Open Water Rowing in Britain is right out in the North Sea or
North Atlantic. Also, opportunity to meet Jeff Wittenfeld, (see his
email below), Sound Rower's newest member and apparently, a pretty
capable boat builder himself! If I get my Skimmer back in the water,
Jeff is going to give me some stiff competition.

Christopher would like to join folks for a get-to-gether and little
presentation about his RoCat project this coming Saturday, Feb 4th.
Dan Henderson has graciously offered to let us meet at the Cascade
Boathouse in Renton.

We have two options time wise:
A. meet around 11:00 am, right after Dan's done coaching his junior
paddlers. Dan has also quite generously offered us the use of Cascade
Boats (Dan were you thinking that we paddle during your kids practices
like we did for annual meeting?) Great way to get inspired for a boat
building presentation -- and a sure cure for any jetlag that
Christopher might be experiencing.

B. What Christopher had originally in mind. He'd go off sightseeing
during the day, and then we meet around 5pm for get-to-gether at
Cascade, then go for dinner for who ever would like to.

Dan is being wonderfully accommodating about which time of day we get
to meet at Cascade. We just need feedback from you all to see who can
come and which time of day is preferable

Hope to see you Saturday. Please let us know soon if you can come and
morning or evening option.

Thanks,
Debbie Natelson