Some may wonder what goes through the mind of a rower through the course of a 5-mile race in a bay. But for the Barnegat Bay Challenge on Aug. 21, the initial question centered on what some of the Van Duyne boat rowers talked about.

“Shawn yells at me sometimes, telling me to fix my left oar, and it’s a little mean,” joked Ship Bottom Beach Patrol’s Jim LaMarco, referring to rowing partner Shawn Hannon, shortly after they finished third in the Van Duyne division of the annual race.