The Head of the Charles Regatta Returns!

Update: Riverside Boat Club won 18 medals and finished second to Princeton in total team points!

Catherine Widgery & Ann Cann, Women’s Veteran Double: Gold   ***COURSE RECORD***

John Mannion and Amel Younis, Men’s Lightweight Double: Gold

Mat Terwiesch & Ian Richardson, Men’s Lightweight Double: Bronze

Men’s Veteran Four: Gold

And the Women’s Club Eight got the Special Medal!

Way to go, Riverside!

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The Head of the Charles starts tomorrow, Friday at 7:45am. It is the largest 3-day regatta in the world, with 11,000 athletes rowing in over 1,900 boats in 61 events.

Single and double sculls will launch from Magazine Beach—a great place to view the race. This year the Powder Magazine will be open as well from 12noon-5pm, Saturday and Sunday, so there will be access to Mass Audubon’s Nature Center and its public bathrooms!

Magazine Beach’s own Riverside Boat Club has 130 members competing this year, more than half of its total membership. Look for their blue and white striped tops and oars. Go, Riverside!

Races times:

Friday, 7:45am-10:16am

Saturday, 7:45am-3:22pm

Sunday, 7:45am-3:38pm

More info and things to look for below, courtesy of RBC rower Ernest Cook:

Riverside Boat Club is fielding entries in 32 different events. That reflects the demographics of the club’s membership, which ranges widely in age from early 20s to 70+. Riverside is also known for having a strong contingent of lightweight rowers. Men competing in singles cannot weigh more than 160 lbs. and the cap for women is 130 lbs.

Simmons College and Boston College High School teams also share the Riverside boat house and have crew entries in the regatta.

Below are some of Riverside’s notable entries. But be sure to cheer for anyone in the distinctive blue and white stripes!

Friday

9:16 Women’s Grandmaster Single, Bow #1.

Tricia Carney won this event last year, can she repeat?

9:57 Women’s Grandmaster Double, Bow #2

Lynn Osborn and Patricia Belden, both former club presidents, could take gold.

Saturday

7:45 Club Single, Bow #2.

Adriaan Venter has been very fast in events leading up to the Head of the Charles.

8:44 Women’s Master Double, Bow #3.

Tina Vandersteel and Alexis Sneff are always fast.

8:57 Men’s Master Double, Bow #1.

Former U.S. National Team rowers Pete Morelli and Sean Wolf have won this event a few times, but every year they grow older and presumably slower?

10:05 Men’s Veteran’s Four, three Riverside gold medal winners in the Grandmaster Four have aged up into the Veteran’s category (70+), but some younger crews have been seeded behind them, so expect some passing to take place.

12:24 Men’s Club Four, Bow #5 and #6.

Last year Riverside had two crews who finished within 1 second of each other. This year they are lined up one in front of the other, so they will be competing fiercely against each other for bragging rights, maybe some hardware, and no doubt some beer.

1:09 Men’s Club Eight, Bow #5.

They are defending champions among the “true” club (non-collegiate) teams. They’re looking just as fast this year.

1:24 Women’s Club Eight, Bow #6

Riverside’s crew is also looking to repeat as club champion this year.

1:42-2:20 Look for an armada of Riverside lightweight boats in the Men’s and Women’s Champ Doubles and Lightweight Singles. Riverside’s competitors include many current and recent members of the U.S. National Team and one member of the Palestinian National Team.