The Head of the Charles is Back!

Single and double sculls of visiting rowers will once again launch from Magazine Beach Park. The HOC is the world’s largest two-day rowing event—this year, because of COVID, the 56th HOC Regatta will happen over 3 days and it will feature many rowers who participated in the Summer Olympics in Tokyo. It began this morning. It continues tomorrow, Saturday, 8am-3:41pm and Sunday, 7:45am-3:59pm. The start line is at Boston University’s DeWolfe Boathouse, and rowers finish the 3-mile upstream course at Herter Park along Soldiers Field Road.

There is great viewing of the start from the BU Bridge and of the “powerhouse stretch” from Magazine Beach and River Street Bridge. For more information, see this Boston Globe article or the HOC website. 

Over 150 athletes from Magazine Beach’s Riverside Boat Club will compete this year! Founded in 1869 by printers from the Riverside Press, many of them Irish immigrants, the boat club has been at the park since 1912. It is the last “working man’s” boat club on the river and today boasts over 300 male and female rowers of all levels,  including members who have represented the United States in recent international competition and many Head of the Charles event winners.