We all know about MarMon, but next weekend is another one of Boston’s biggest races – the Head of the Charles. But what is the Head of the Charles? Why do all those people come to Boston? Why are there so many boats on the river? What even is rowing? Well as a member of BU’s Women’s rowing team, I’m here to give you the inside scoop.
First, a crash course on rowing. There are two types of rowing boats: sculling, where each rower has two oars and sweeping, where each rower has one oar. Boats are classified by the number of rowers, an x indicates it’s a sculling boat, and a + or – indicates if the boat has a coxswain or not.
A coxswain (that’s me) steers the boat, motivates the rowers, and acts as the coach in the boat. They’re who you see lying down in the front of a four person boat or sitting facing the rowers in an eight person boat. The twists and turns of the Charles make the race particularly challenging for coxswains, as each one competes for the shortest course. This often means fighting for the inside on the big and sharp turns of the river.
The Charles is a head race which means that boats start one at a time, competing to get down the course in the shortest amount of time. The start line to the race sits at the corner of the balcony of BU’s DeWolfe Boathouse, so you don’t even have to leave campus to watch the race. From the starting line boats will race toward the BU bridge, continue 3 miles down the river through 7 bridges to the finish line which is just around the bend from Eliot Bridge.
Due to the large number of boats racing down the river at once, the race is known for crashes, especially at bridges like Weeks, Eliot, and Anderson. If you take the walk down to Eliot Bridge, listen for the reaction from the crowd. You’ll know when someone has taken the turn well or when an unfortunate crew has hit the bridge or another crew.
At the finish of the course you’ll find a ton of vendors. The mac and cheese and chili in a bread bowl are fan favorites especially in colder years. There’s also a Vineyard Vines Merch tent, as well as many other vendors giving out free samples or letting you test out new equipment
I hope this helps give you a little bit more information about rowing. If you need a study break October 18-20th, I highly recommend taking a trip over the BU bridge and down the esplanade to experience one of Boston’s biggest weekends.
