Rochester is one of the oldest communities in the state and tends to have a unique patriotic spirit.
That patriotic spirit was in full force down the Mattapoisett River on Memorial Day, where more than 40 paddle boats weaved their way 13 miles toward a family-fun-cookout finish line on Route 6 in Mattapoisett.
This Memorial Day event, a unique celebration from one of the first Massachusetts towns to declare war on the British, has been happening since the 1930s. The event was canceled during the World War II years, but nothing has slowed it down since – not even the Covid-19 pandemic.
Event Organizer Art Benner said the event has been opened to kayakers and a boat-building group from Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical High School. He hopes to draw more interest from kids at local schools.
Benner and Rochester Select Board member Paul Ciaburri said at one point, close to 80 boaters were participating. Covid-19 has cut those numbers in half. Benner said that over the past few years, the event participation is trickling upward, with around 40 participating on Monday.
“It’s a great thing for young people,” Ciaburri said, noting that it is a volunteer-run event and a great way to get involved in the community.
Generations of families competed against each other. Some looked to form dynasties. Chelsea Allen of Spencer and Megan Lewis of New Bedford won their third consecutive first place in the Women’s Division, finishing 25th overall. They were awarded the Bill Watling Memorial Trophy.
Others sought to resurrect old glory days or reinvigorate a family tradition.
Peter MacGregor and Matt Buckley were the first due to float their way toward the Route 6 overpass where onlookers were cheering them on.
MacGregor started earlier than his sons Ian and Eli. Peter MacGregor said he was happy that his boys did not pass him along the river – a sign of a slow pace. However, he and Buckley couldn’t quite match the elapsed time of the MacGregor boys. Buckley and Peter MacGregor came in fourth place with a time just above two hours and three minutes. Eli and Ian finished second overall with a 2:01:04 record. These 20-year-olds edged out their dad Peter.
Peter MacGregor, surrounded by friends, was still all smiles after the event. He said he has been competing since 1974, starting when he was 10 and never missing a race. He will celebrate his 50th boat run next year. His rowing partner Buckley summed it up best, “Once you start, you can’t back out.”
Bill Watling III can relate to that sentiment. After he and partner Daniel Rittenhouse finished in under two hours with a time of 1:57:35, Watling was looking at the leaderboard. Before discovering that he indeed won with Rittenhouse, Watling said it represents his seventh, consecutive first-place finish.
“It’s a fun, old tradition,” he said. Watling has been participating for 22 years.
Watling seems to take the tradition seriously, putting in 40 hours of paddling time before Memorial Day.
Coming in third overall behind the Watling team and the MacGregor boys were Dana Barrows and Paul Milde, both of Mattapoisett.
By Jeffrey D. Wagner