ALPENA — For members of the Shipwreck Rowing team there isn’t a better way to start the day than on the water.

“It’s been very casual. We meet two or three times a week. There isn’t much I’d like to get up at 6 a.m. for, this is worth it,” team member Cristi Johnson said.

There are five women who meet to row together: Lora Greene, Jessie Morasky, Johnson, Stephanie Gandulla and Sarah Waters.

This is the second year the team has met and they use a historical recreation of a Mackinaw boat, created by the Heritage Coast Rowing and Sailing group.

Johnson said she started to row about three weeks ago. She knew some of the women on the team last year and she spoke again to members this year and decided to try it. She said she was surprised by how much she enjoyed rowing and the act is quite meditative.

“It’s very much the pendulum swinging. I have so much intensity in other areas of my life (Johnson is on the local roller derby team the Shipwreck Alley Rollers) and it’s nice to come out here and be reminded there are still bits of this world where’s there’s this peace and calm,” she said.

Greene has been out in the boat only three times so far and has loved the friendships she’s developed.

“I do love the water and have known how to kayak and canoe,” she said. “I’ve had some basic understanding, but rowing is very different. I’m comfortable on the water.”

Everyone has busy days where they work hard and have a lot on their minds, Greene said, this allows her to get out of her head and focus on the beauty of where she is.

“Part of (rowing) is learning to trust each other and working together to make the boat move as quickly as possible. We have to pay attention to each other, each other’s stroke and listening to our lead person who calls the stroke,” Greene said.

Gandulla said there are five positions on the rowboat.

“There’s the four different rowing positions. The first strike oar sets the pace, and then there’s the bow oar and the two in the middle. The coxswain steers the boat and is responsible for the safety of everyone aboard,” she said.

She said the team is pretty laid back and they aren’t super competitive. They mostly do this for fun and exercise.

Waters said she’s sailed for years, but rowing is a new activity and once she tried she was hooked.

“I love sailing,” she said. “There is a bit more effort to get ready to go sailing. It’s (rowing) more like paddle boarding. You can quickly get out, in and get back in without having to dedicate the whole day to it. I think it’s cool. I love to kayak on my own. I love the comradery to have a few people together and row together.”

Because the boat is a replica of one made in the 1800s she said there’s history to it.

“When we’re out rowing in the bay here I’m just thinking about what it was like back then I have this historical moment; to see in my mind people using the fishing nets, or transport goods or family it wasn’t easy. It’s not the type you would build for race rowing. It’s heavy because it’s made to withstand the waves and the weather of the Great Lakes in the area. It’s not meant for racing. I guess the final thing that hooked me is when we went to a regatta last year and meeting other people who do the same thing around the Great Lakes. It was a lot of fun. That sealed the deal for me,” Waters said.

Gandulla said she and Waters had known Heritage Coast for a while.

“We’re the ones who connected with Dave Wentworth and one of his rowing groups. They mentioned they would love to see one of their boats up in Alpena. We went down to Tawas and they said we can use our boat,” Gandulla said.

Wentworth said the design of the boat is patterned after the classic regional style of the mid-1800s called Mackinaw boats.

“They were used by fisherman to haul freight, passengers,” he said. “They were the pickup trucks of the 1800s; they were a very popular boats on the Great Lake.”

The design of the boat was modified a bit to be able to row and sail.

“It’s a really pretty boat to start with. Hopefully people see that it’s something pretty. We hope that they would recognize the difference between then and now and see how far we’ve come as a people,” Wentworth said.

He said Heritage Coast started in 2011.

“There was one day in Alpena in 2011 in the middle of one our long Michigan winters we were sitting around at a coffee shop wondering how to use our time better. We decided to build a classic Michigan boat. Named the organization after the Heritage Route group,” he said.

Gandulla said they will attend a couple of regattas in other parts of the state and plan to host one in Alpena in October.

Johnson said she’s excited for when that time comes.

“I look forward to see what becomes of this. When we have the regatta in October it’s something Alpena can be proud of,” Johnson said.