On a brisk autumn weekend, a racing contingent from the Village Community Boathouse made its annual fall journey to Hull, Massachusetts to participate in the Hull Lifesaving Museum’s Head of the Weir River Race. The race course is a spectacular five and a half mile stretch that takes participants from the head of the Weir River, under a bridge lined by cheering spectators, through Hingham Bay, and finally to the finish line marked by the pier at HLM’s Pemberton Point boathouse.
A last minute change to the race course, made amid concerns of erosion caused by crews walking on the boggy marsh, shortened the race by a quarter mile. All participating craft queued up to await the horn that signaled the start of each boat’s time. Rowers were sent off in the traditional order: singles, doubles, coxed fours, then the behemoth pilot gigs that would attempt the chase down the field.
VCB’s Youth Crew racing in Lady Moody, a stretch dory: Mary Harvey (coxswain), Hanson He, Daniel Elliott, Daniel St. John, and Abi Johnson.
This year’s youth crew comprised of a mix of familiar faces and first time racers. Coxed by Youth Rowing Coordinator Mary Harvey, who started rowing in VCB’s youth program pre-COVID, the youth crew placed first in their category with an enviable time of 1:01:06. So skilled was this crew, not even the adult coxed four crews were able to catch up!
The VCB & Friends adult crew racing in pilot gig Cady: Rock Singewald (coxswain), Esteban, Austin Geist, Elizabeth Argiro, Stone Su, Nafel Khan, and Andrew Leung.
With short notice leading to a limited number of rowers available, VCB’s adult crew became an amalgam of rowers from New York, New Jersey, and Rhode Island. This hodgepodge performed admirably, finishing with a time of 57:35, which landed the crew in the middle of the pack — the fleet of pilot gigs finished with times ranging from 51:59 to 1:45:52 — not bad for a group that hadn’t met each other until the day of the race!
Gratitude to Don Betts for lending VCB the use of his boats for this race. Image credit Sean Baggett Photography.
On Saturday, May 14th, VCB and Harbor School joined forces to send crews and boats to New Haven Harbor to compete in Sound School’s annual Elm City Open Water Challenge. The race, which took place on the waterfront by The Sound School, consisted of two timed heats followed followed by a one mile sprint.
The VCB Youth Rowers placed 1st in the Final One Mile Sprint and 2nd in total time for their Intermediate category.
Special thanks to Andrew Leung for organizing and chaperoning the VCB Youth Rowers on the train to New Haven. Thanks to Dave Clayton for wrangling boats and kids and Sean Lynch for driving. We are also most grateful to Roy Arrezo and his Harbor School alumnae and rowers for all their hard work wrangling boats and working with Sound School to make this a safe and fun event.
Harbor School coach Roy Arezzo on the waterfrontCoxswain Mary Harvey and the VCB Youth Crew: Hanson He, Christopher Dou, Mary Harvey, Abigail Johnson, Andy Lin The race resultsVCB Youth Rowers won the Final One Mile Sprint and placed second in total time for their category.Sean Lynch & Dave Clayton and the gigs arrived safely home at Pier 40 after the raceHarbor School rowers on the dockVCB Youth Crew at the dockMany hands make light workVCB Rowers in ActionHarbor School Rowers in Action
On Saturday, March 5th, Village Community Boathouse sent two crews to the Hull Lifesaving Museum’s 41st annual Snow Row. It was a lovely, spring-like day, not too much wind, not too cold, and the sun was shining- almost ideal conditions. There was a celebratory atmosphere as this odd and diverse community of open water rowers got together on the beach once more after Snow Row and other open water races had been canceled for the past two years.
VCB’s Youth Crew won in their category: Youth Cox-4 Pro. (Pro meaning that they had rowed together before the race.) In fact, the VCB youth crew practiced rowing for the race in the cold off Pier 40 embayment for a month before the race and their hard work paid off. The winning crew rowing Warrior finished the 3 3/4 mile race in 41:41. Warrior was coxed by VCB Youth Program Coordinator, Mary Harvey. The VCB adult crew, rowing Notorious G.I.G, coxed by Dave Clayton, finished second with a time of 44:06.
Winning Warrior Crew: Mary Harvey, Hanson He, Christopher Dou, Emmy Chen, and Abigail Johnson
Notorious Crew: Don Betts, Stone Su, Nafel Kahn, Dave Clayton, and Marcel Dejean
Boat wranglers Marcel, Frank & Dave Notorious and Warrior nesting on the trailer, heading for HullView of the Snow Row from the beachCoxswain Dave Clayton Notorious Crew launching Winning Warrior crew showing off their golden clamshellsNestingBoats and crew safely back at Pier 40
Thanks to Frank Cervi for towing and wrangling boats. Many thanks also to the parents of Mary Harvey and Nafel Kahn for transporting VCB’s high school rowers to the race. We are most grateful to Don & Martha Betts for putting us up for the night and to Don for taking an oar.
The novice rowers take to the water for stage three of the race: basin sprints! Crews from foreground to background: The Tainos, Dry Sox, Goose, Bay-Gulls.
On Saturday, November 20th, the Village Community Boathouse held its annual youth race, a free invitational for youth rowers of all ability levels. This year saw seven crews of varied experience levels gather at Pier 40 for the festivities and a bit of friendly competition. Governors Island’s Harbor School fielded two seasoned teams and two novice teams. VCB’s youth rowers, hailing from high schools throughout New York City, formed three teams, one seasoned and two novice. This year’s race consisted of three stages, each designed to test the crews’ mettle in different facets of open water rowing.
A novice crew takes its turn in stage one of the race: basin laps time trials.
Stage one of the race was the basin laps time trials; each crew took three timed laps around the embayment south of Pier 40. The worst time was dropped, and the crews best times averaged and compared to the other crews in their category. The average lap times of the novice crews is as follows Bay-Gulls (3:47), The Tainos (3:51.5), Goose (4:11.5), Dry Sox (4:21.5). The average lap times of the seasoned crews was The Seamen (3:10.5), Kiss My Pink Aft (3:36), Wet Sox (3:41.5).
Two crews speed southbound in the river race.
Stage two of the race was the river race. A race course on the mighty Hudson was carefully measured and marked — each crew would complete a nautical mile, leaving the embayment to a marker north of Pier 46, then speeding back home. Crews were sent out in one minute intervals in a head of the river format. The novice crews departed first, and this race proved to be exciting with crews jockeying for position northbound and a lead change at the turn marker! The novices crews returned home as follows Bay-Gulls (14:59), The Tainos (16:01), Dry Sox (16:46), Goose (18:07). With the novice boats back and the ebb even stronger, it was time for the seasoned crews to test their long course endurance. This iteration of the nautical mile saw no lead changes but was equally exciting for the beautifully synchronization in each gig. The seasoned rowers put up the following times: The Seamen (12:20), Wet Sox (14:12), Kiss My Pink Aft (14:33).
The novice crews take to the water during stage three of the race: basin sprints
The third and final stage saw stopwatches tossed aside as we relied on a more primitive technology: our eyes! Stage three was a hard sprint across the Pier 40 embayment. Although this was the shortest distance, all rowers realized they’d have to row harder than every. Judges from each rowing program waited at the finish line, marked by a Jolly Roger lashed to the northern fence. An airhorn sounded the start of each heat before oars furiously churned a mist of Hudson water into the air!
The novice basin sprint brought looks of surprise and confusion to the faces of the audience and judges alike, with the lead boat stopping short of the marker. When the air cleared, the order that novice crews crossed the finish line was The Tainos, Goose, Dry Sox, and Bay-Gulls. The seasoned crews took to the water next, now made more aware of the placement of the finish line than their novice counterparts. The Seamen crossed the finish line first, but the second and third place boats were separated by mere inches. Video review confirmed that only the stem of the Wet Sox gig crossed the finish line before Kiss My Pink Aft caught up!
Thanks to the efforts of our volunteers the event was a resounding success. Facing the prospect of a forced cancelation and with mere days to plan and execute this event, VCB’s membership rallied together to ensure that the months of training were not for naught. Thanks to Phil Yee for his expertise and guidance throughout the day; to Ingo for laying out all course markers and serving as our safety boat; Frank, Sally, and Melissa and Regine for feeding our hungry crews and spectators; Michael Anton for handling MC duties; Marcel for working on race logistics and the hand out; Frank and Henry for setting up the PA system; Dave and Harbor alumni for line handling and receiving crews at the floating dock; and Ruth, Lorne, Barbara, Eric, Phil, Mary Nell, Pablo, Sean, Regine, and Harbor and VCB parents for serving as time keepers!
Dozens of rowers, many first time racers, were able to get on the water and test their ability against unfamiliar crews. Perhaps their appetite for competition was whetted and we’ll see some familiar faces at next years races?
The Crews:
Harbor School’s Goose (novice)
The Goose in action during the river race
Village Community Boathouse’s Bay-Gulls(novice)
The Bay-Gulls in action during the river race
Harbor School’s The Tainos(novice)
The Tainos in action during the river race
Village Community Boathouse’s Dry Sox(novice)
The Dry Sox in action during the river race
Harbor School’s Kiss My Pink Aft(seasoned) in action during the river race
Kiss My Pink Aft waiting to return to the floating dock
Village Community Boathouse’s Wet Sox(seasoned)
The Wet Sox in action during the river race
Harbor School’s The Seamen(seasoned)
The Seamen in action during the river race
Harbor School group photo
Thanks to Michael Anton, Master of Ceremonies Extraordinaire
After scuttled plans for Snow Row 2020 amid a rowing season lost to COVID, the Hull Lifesaving Museum hosted their 35th annual Head of the Weir River Race on November 6, 2021. The race course was set, the medals painted, and the goodie bags equipped with a reusable HLM cloth face mask — the only question was whether race participants would return to Hull after skipped season.
And return they did! Nearly four dozen boats containing over a hundred of the finest open water rowers from New England and the Atlantic Northeast gathered at the start line on an unexpectedly warm morning. Surrounded by the changing foliage, boats jockeyed for position in this “head of the river” start format. A horn sounded every thirty seconds to start the timer for each boat and signal its departure.
Once free of the starting scrum, participants navigated through the marsh, flooded by an uncharacteristically high tide. Several enterprising boats with shallow drafts took advantage of this newfound “waterway” and carved new tangents around the race course. Once through the marsh and under the George Washington Boulevard Bridge, rowers navigated across world’s end and into the three mile stretch of open water to the finish line where waving spectators waited to greet tired crews.
Rowers from the Village Community Boathouse were eager to race again and test their ability against the region’s best crews. Traditionally, VCB sends a youth crew and an adult crew to races in which it participates. Mindful of our youth rowers who missed their senior racing season last year, we decided to forego an adult crew and instead create a mixed youth/adult crew to accompany our youth crew to Hull.
VCB’s Youth Crew (57:50): Andy Lin, Abi Johnson, coxswain Mary Harvey, Christopher Dou, Emmy Chen
Racing in Warrior, a coxed four stretch gunning dory, VCB’s relatively inexperienced youth crew performed admirably and won their category with a time of fifty-seven minutes and fifty seconds. Head of the Weir was the first race for all but one of the youth rowers, making this victory all the more impressive. With most members of the crew eligible to return next season, the future of VCB youth rowing looks bright!
VCB’s Mixed Crew (54:22): Marcel Dejean, coxswain Frank Cervi, Stone Su, Andrew Leung, Nafel Khan
Racing in Pete Seeger, a Whitehall gig built in house by VCB volunteers, the mixed youth/adult crew overcame a rocky start to finish the race in fifty-four minutes and twenty-two seconds. This time was the fastest in the mixed coxed four fixed seat category and earned the crew their golden clamshells. So impressive was this time that it was second overall in the entire coxed four, sweep oar, fixed seat class, registering a mere twelve seconds behind the first place finisher.
After the race, with the youth on their way home, the few participants who remained on the beach at Pemberton Point were treated to an exquisite sunset. We all look forward to making the trek back for the Hull Lifesaving Museum’s Snow Row early next year!
