I was getting dizzy out there.”

Jeff Chappell, blindfolded rower

PORTSMOUTH — It’s one thing to row blindfolded if you have a navigator on board. Jeff Chappell, however, went solo.

During the second annual “blindfolded dinghy races” from Safe Harbor Sakonnet (formerly Brewer’s Sakonnet Marina) on Narragansett Boulevard in Common Fence Point on Sunday, Chappell rowed a pond boat with a handkerchief covering his eyes.

The other rowers did the same, but they had the benefit of having a crew mate telling them which way to paddle as they navigated a course out of the marina, south on the Sakonnet River and nearly to the beach off the railroad tracks, before turning around.

“You’re supposed to have two people in a boat, because you gotta have a navigator. Well, he built that and he designed it so that his wife (Debbie) could direct him by telephone,” said Abby Brown, who organized the offbeat race.

Chappell was wearing earbuds and listening to Debbie’s commands, but he struggled to keep up with the other competitors. Since Debbie wasn’t in the boat, she had to keep moving from one finger pier to the other so she could see where her husband was headed.

“I’ve never even rode this boat before,” Jeff said. “I could tell I was going in circles; we were having a hard time with the communication.”

“(The boat) is very responsive,” Debbie added. “It was zigzagging.”

Jeff nodded. “When she would say, ‘You need to go a little bit right,’ I’d hit it hard right and by the time she’s like, ‘Wait a minute,’ I’ve already gone too far. I was getting dizzy out there,” he said.

Eventually, it got so bad Jeff was told he could ditch the blindfold. He came in dead last, but still had fun in his contraption which wasn’t even designed for the ocean.

“This is a pond boat, and it’s basically just a little fishing platform. It’s got a place for a motor and a battery. It even has a whole pulley and cleat system where you can drop a little anchor, but it’s really meant for a pond,” he said.

Brown said she got the idea for the contest a couple of years ago. 

“I’m in charge of the social events at the boatyard,” she said. “The deal is, nothing was going on so I came up with a whole pile of crazy things to do. And, this is one of the best.”

After the race, competitors enjoy a cookout and presentation.

“Somebody gets a booby prize, which will be Jeff when he gets back,” said Brown, who also hosts cocktail parties at the marina’s pool on Friday nights, and movie nights starting on Labor Day.

Grandson’s first time

Brown’s grandson Owen, who lives in France, was visiting for a month and decided to join the competition. He rowed while his grandfather, Jonathan, served as navigator.

“I thought this would be a great way to teach him how to row,” Brown said. “Out of the frying pan and into the fryer.”

Despite his inexperience, Owen came in third place. “I don’t think No. 3 is too bad for somebody who didn’t know how to row,” his grandmother said.

Ian Ramsden, with his sister Meaghan Straker serving as his navigator, was the winner.

When asked where she got the idea for the race, Brown shook her head. 

“I just thought it up. Nobody else is doing it. Nobody’s stupid enough to do it, but that’s alright. It’s funny.

“It’s kind of a fool’s regatta.”