Julia Shew has sculled many miles over her lifetime, but none are as monumental as those she will row at the end of the 2010 season. To celebrate her 65th birthday in October, Shew plans to complete her quest to scull 3,000 miles in one year -- the equivalent of going from her hometown of Larkspur, California to Fairfax, Virginia.
On August 17, Shew, a member of Fairfax County's Occoquan Boat Club, passed the annual club record of 2,050 miles. She had accrued over 2,707 miles as of September 24th. The average distance sculled in a season by individual members is approximately 250 miles.
On most mornings throughout the spring and summer, Julia has launched a single scull at 7 a.m. from the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority's Sandy Run Rowing Facility in Lorton. She sculls west on the Occoquan Reservoir to Bull Run Regional Park and back again, a round trip of 18 miles. On August 31, she made her 100th trip for the year. The average time of each trip is 3 hours.
Shew began to row as an undergraduate at University of California at Berkeley. As a member of a four-person boat, she was part of the first Cal Women's crew. She competed in the first women's national regatta sponsored by the National Women's Rowing Association held at Green Lake, Washington in 1966. At UC Berkeley she learned to row in group boats and in single sculls.
In 2007, after having been away for the sport for 40 years, Shew was encouraged to scull again by her instructor at Gold's Gym in Lorton, who was a member of the Occoquan Boat Club. She quickly dove back into the sport and attended a sculling camp on the Occoquan Reservoir in 2008. Now she is planning to add her 3,000-mile goal to her accomplishments.
"I listen to the birds and try to identify them by their call," said Shew. "If the birds are extremely quiet, it may be a sign of an approaching storm. I spend a lot of time watching the eagles and lately a great egret at Bull Run. Last year I saw a tree full of these egrets at the 5-mile mark (GPS 15). At first I had thought someone had hung toilet tissue on the tree. I have seen a fox, deer and turtles. I talk to the fishermen and the kayakers."
When asked what provisions she takes on her trips, Shew says she brings a water bottle, rope to tie up the boat at the dock, two granola bars, a package of fruit snacks, a packet of Moist Wipes to wipe the oar handles, a small flashlight, a small tube of sunblock. "The only thing I am missing is a package of duct tape to patch the boat in case it ever gets a hole in the hull," she said, adding, "Of course, I take my small camera in a waterproof case and my shoes."
For the last few years in May, Shew and her husband, Karl, have competed as members of the Cornell Club in the Dragon Boat Festival held on the Potomac River in Washington, D.C.
The Occoquan Boat Club membership is comprised about 150 adults who enjoy both recreational and competitive rowing. The OBC fleet consists of 10 singles, 9 doubles, and 3 quads. The Head of the Occoquan Regatta (HOTO) is sponsored by the Occoquan Boat Club and is held on the first weekend of November every year.