DAN HARRIS COMMEMORATIVE ROW

Dan Harris gets sweaty in a big row

posted 04/12/03
On Wednesday, April 23, a rower portraying Dan Harris will leave Victoria Harbor at 2 p.m. to start the four-day Dan Harris Commemorative Row which will celebrate the founder of Fairhaven’s rowing to Bellingham exactly 150 years ago. In 1853, Daniel Harris left a whaling ship in Victoria and rowed through the San Juan Islands to Bellingham Bay where he rowed into a protected cove and named it "Fairhaven."

He homesteaded 140 acres, platted it, and promoted his new town. Today, Historic Fairhaven is a picturesque, thriving community, a popular Northwest tourist attraction and gateway to the Alaska Marine Highway. The Dan Harris Commemorative Row celebrates this historical and cultural relationship shared by Victoria, the San Juan Islands, and Fairhaven. It will dovetail on Saturday, April 26, with the dedication of the new Fairhaven Village Green and the dedication of a bronze statue to Dan Harris on the Green.

Former Bellingham city councilman, Tip Johnson, will portray Dan Harris when he and two companion rowers depart from Government Dock escorted by Victoria Harbor’s fireboat and the Gorge Rowing & Paddling Centre, home of Canada's first-ever World Champion Heavyweight Men's Eight accompanied by a squadron of well-wishers.

Scheduled for
the San Juans

At 6:30 p.m. April 23, 2003, rowers arrive at Roche Harbor where the community will welcome them as they enter the harbor, led by local kayakers, rowers and boaters.

"Dan Harris" arrives at Orcas Landing about noon April 24, 2003. After a lunch, he will row to Obstruction Pass State Marine Park on the east end of Orcas Island, where he will camp for the night on the beach.

Organizers are inviting residents of the Islands to join Dan during the day in their own boats, whether powered by paddle, oar, sail or power. They are also welcome to camp with Dan and join in campfire songs and storytelling.

He and his companion rowers will then row inside Trial, Discovery and Chatham Islands and turn toward San Juan Island at Cadboro Point, to arrive about 6:30 p.m. in Roche Harbor where the Roche Harbor community will welcome them as they enter the harbor, led by local kayakers, rowers and boaters.

On Thursday morning, April 24, "Dan Harris" will depart Roche Harbor and row east to Orcas Landing on Orcas Island, arriving about noon. After a lunch, he will row to Obstruction Pass State Marine Park on the east end of Orcas Island, where he will camp for the night on the beach. Organizers are inviting residents of the Islands to join Dan during the day in their own boats, whether powered by paddle, oar, sail or power. They are also welcome to camp with Dan and join in campfire songs and storytelling.

Friday, April 25, Dan will row across Rosario Straits to Inati Bay on Lummi Island, in Bellingham Bay. Again, it is hoped that he will be accompanied by supporters in other boats.

Saturday, April 26, he will row across Bellingham Bay, arriving in Fairhaven at 2 pm where he will be greeted by the mayor, a band and towns people. They will march up Harris Avenue, named by Dan Harris in the 1800s, to the new Fairhaven Village Green, a new public square.

The modern day Dan Harris will then unveil the life-size bronze statue of the historical Dan Harris on the Green. The statue is a gift from Polar Tankers, the company whose oil tankers transport Alaskan crude oil to the refinery at Cherry Point, just north of Bellingham and Fairhaven.

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