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Shooting Seas with Coffman

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VanSant surfboat - Mike Coffman, Dave Williams and Rick Dove after a collision with another boat. ! I had many partners during 29 years of lifeguarding but one fearless and wiry partner in particular was stand partner and childhood friend Mike Coffman. We became rookies the same year in 1970, when we made "the beach." Slang for surviving rookie school and passing rigorous rowing, swimming, running and surf dash tests. Both interested in rowing, as having rowed 8 oared crew shells in Ventnor Heights while students at Holy Spirit High School in Absecon NJ. We naturally took to the challenges of learning to row the surfboat. The VanSant cedar on oak lapstrake surfboats were 17 feet long, had excellent flotation.  The stable boats weighed 350 to 400 pounds and were crewed with either singles rowers or doubles teams. Many nights long after we had gotten off work, we would hungrily pulling our boat up the
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How Morrell almost lost the race!

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Iron Mike Sluzenski bow, Rick Reddog Dove stern. Strong catch of stroke. Brigantine bay, New Jersey 1979. We did our last set of starts, making sure we hit our first 10 strokes as fast as possible. Practice had went well and my bowman Mike "Slu" Sluzenski pulled the truck near the race boat as I took the oars and set them in the truck bed. One of the local girls walked by and Lieutenant Mike "Thor" Morrell pulled up on the patrol quad. We chatted a minute but wanted to get the footbraces and seats out of the boat and left Morrell and Sherry to talk. I hear a loud cackle from Morrell as he and Sherry take off down the beach in the truck. I yell, "get back here with our oars!" and Morrell just cackles harder.  About twenty minutes went by and we had walked up to Beach Patrol Headquarters and Morrell pulls up laughing his patented cackle. "Real funny Thor!" I annoyingly shout. I walk around to the back of the truck and Slu's bow oars are
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Kinsey Cove

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Small beach on left, White Sunfish flipped over. The cold south jersey wind finally eased off enough to get outside. Picked up my Mom and said "lets go down to Old Barney and on the way get a sandwich and I'll show you a really cool cove." Mom is always up for adventure and happily agreed to the plan. We picked up our sandwich and pulled into small beach area of Kinsey Cove and ate while admiring the view. "This is the beach I anchored my sailboat."  We drove down Kinsey Lane which is a narrow, one way that has many cottages that are refreshingly restored without losing the old island charm.  "My sailing partner Bob Rossiter showed me this lane, we would sail accross from Barnegat on the mainland, beach his catboat and get some exercise while enjoying this beautiful hidden gem." Mom and I with small cottage on its own tiny island in Kinsey Cove.
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Barnegat Bay South Journal of Upsen Downs 9-3-07 Labor Day Motored out of Mariners Marina, Bay ave. Barnegat, NJ at 10:30 am. 10-15 SSW winds. Single handed O'Day Mariner 19, hoisted jib, main got stuck. Climbed up and fixed it. Re-hoisted main. Hugged marshes heading east. Moving nicely, turned Whale point and headed southeast for Harvey Cedars. Shoal water, centerboard banging bottom I pulled it up a little. Blowing hard on a beat towards Harvey Cedars it felt 15 knots. Made quick time across bay. Not many sailboats out, and not many powerboats. Won't be able to lower sails easily out in the open. Pulled into lee of Kinsey's Cove area. 1967 19' Oday Mariner Watched a boat negotiate the small opening to the creek. Started the outboard, lowered the sails and motored in. The width of the creek quickly narrowed to just a few boat lengths. This being my first trip into the waterway, I lowered my speed. Waved to a family getting their SunFish off
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