Erin Marie
Erin Marie Ketelle was a masters rower for the Oak Ridge Rowing Association. Her life moved forward to her moving and living in Nashville, rowing with Nashville Rowing Club. I received a call from her parents telling me that Erin had tragically and very unexpectedly passed in her early 30’s. She was young, vibrant and loved rowing her pink Fluidesign 1X. Her parents asked if I could make the drive to Nashville to retrieve her shell for them. Upon its arrival at The Rowing Repair Center, her parents commissioned me to transform her shell back to its original beauty as a memorial to Erin’s all-too-brief life. An exact pink was selected and the restoration began. Fast-forward to a ceremony at the Oak Ridge Rowing Association. boathouse where Erin’s beloved shell, now named the Erin Marie, was dedicated, toasted to and donated to ORRA’s fleet so all could enjoy her. A photo of Erin rowing her Fluidesign 1X at the Head of the Charles is mounted on the cockpit bulkhead as a visual reminder of Erin and her love of rowing.
Sammy Sam Robb
A number of years ago, Liz Robb from Atlanta called me about repairing and repainting her brother’s 1X that was coming back from Florida races. It sounded routine. Unbeknownst to anyone, the shell exited the trailer and disappeared, no one know how or where. I was notified the shell was gone. Ironically enough, a local FL resident drove past “something in the ditch” on the FL highway for a couple of weeks before finally stopping to investigate. There in its cover was Sammi’s single. Fortunately, Mom had the sense to put the contact info on the cover label. After transport to Oak Ridge, the shell arrived with “flew off the trailer at highway speed” damages. The restoration was completed memorializing Sammi Sam who tragically succumbed to bone cancer while still in high school. The shell became a very important one for The Rowing Repair Center in that it was the first “memorial” shell commissioned. The Robb family deserved the best. With “Sammi Sam” and his mantra “Fightin’ ‘Til the Last Breath” emblazoned in graphics complementing the beautiful blue metallic shell, Sam remains in our hearts and to this day his shell glides on the waters, poetry in motion, always a reminder of how special Sam was to all.
“Betty” Vespoli Prototype 4+
It happens all the time. A $5-$10 strap breaks while trailering. Sometimes the shell stays in place, other times not so much. This Vespoli prototype 4+, meaning there was only one, was loaded bow-aft on the trailer rack and unbeknownst to the driver, lost the aft strap causing the shell to drop to the road with the forward stern still intact. The result was unnoticed miles of dragging on the road with the bow being “sanded” off at an angle. Being the only shell made of this hull, there was nothing to measure or template from any other Vespoli. It required a reconstruction by “eyes” only. The end-result was a perfectly recreated bow as while as a complete color change and graphics custom to the collegiate team colors.
The Tree vs. Vespoli 4X
When trees fall near rowing shells, it is frightening. When large trees fall ON rowing shell trailers, it’s usually hopeless. This collegiate club Vespoli 4X was strapped in-place on the trailer when a tree uprooted and landed on the stern cleaving the entire section downward with the remaining hull strapped and intact. What should have been on its way to the dumpster, the shell was transported to The Rowing Repair Center with the belief and confidence that
“We can rebuild it” and “It will race again”.
The once-doomed shell was made strong, structurally-correct and with a beautiful repainting in team-specific Metallic Blue and custom graphics, the shell was returned to the water.
Friends of The Rowing Repair Center
