The Head of the Charles Regatta was established in 1965 and takes place over a three-mile course, passing under six bridges, five of which are the complex triple-arch bridges. It takes place on the penultimate weekend of October with the Youth Women’s Eights, which were introduced in 1973, taking place on the Sunday. The winner of the Youth Women’s Eights is awarded the ‘Title IX Trophy’, named after the Title IX legislation in 1972. Over the years the regatta has attracted more and more attention, drawing over many international crews, including several in the junior categories.
RowAmerica Rye
RowAmerica Rye are the current holders of the Title IX Trophy, after winning the regatta last year and setting a new course record in the Women’s Youth 8+. In addition to winning last year, RowAmerica Rye’s ‘B’ boat came third, finishing only 12 seconds behind their ‘A’ boat showing the strength in depth this squad has. The RowAmerica Rye 1V finished fourth at the Youth National Championships back in June, with their 4+ coming third and their 2V being crowned National Champions. With an incredibly strong squad in 22/23, I’m sure many will return this year, ready to start the season strong.
Greenwich Crew
Greenwich Crew had a brilliant season last year, starting with a second-place finish at Head of the Charles, only 1.5 seconds behind gold. They continued with a strong run throughout the year, ending their national season as Youth National Championship runners-up. Other members of their large squad also had a successful Youth Nats, with both the 2V and 4+ medalling, placing third and second respectively, with the 4- making the A final as well. Greenwich finished their season across the pond, racing at the prestigious Henley Royal Regatta, where they faced some of the best crews in the UK and Australia. They came away as winners of the Prince Phillip Challenge trophy and will be a formidable challenge to this field.
Saugatuck Rowing Club, LLC
With two fourth-placed finishes at Head of the Charles in the past two years, Saugatuck Rowing Club, LLC will be looking to improve on their position this time around. The Saugatuck 1V came first in the B final of the Youth Nationals in June and will be looking to secure an ‘A’ final berth when that event comes around next sumner. Saugatuck have a strong history with the Head of the Charles, shown by their impressive winning streak from 2014-2018, and they will be looking to start anew this year.
Marin Rowing Association
Marin Rowing Association are the current Youth National Champions and will be looking to start the 2023/24 season off strong to back up their win in June. With a fifth place last year at HOCR and a second in 2021, Marin have a strong history with the regatta and I’m sure they will want to continue to show how powerful their squad is. Rumour has it that Marin might be sending a girl’s eight to Henley Royal Regatta in 2024 so this will provide a first preview into their relative speed.
New Trier High School Rowing
New Trier High School have had a great resurgence in the last few years and are definitely ones to watch at this year’s Head of the Charles. New Trier placed 33rd at this regatta back in 2021 and then executed a stunning performance last year to jump up to sixth. They backed this up with an A final appearance at the Youth National Championships and a second place at the SRAA National Championship. It will be interesting to see how far New Trier can get this year in their quest for success. Another boat club to watch out for come Henley Royal Regatta 2024.
Other entries
Other notable entries include Newport Aquatic Center who produced a great set of results at the National Youth Championship last year and St Paul’s Girls School, regulars of the event, who appear to be the only international crew entered into the Youth Women’s Eight category. They would not have traveled across the Atlantic for nothing.
Prediction
I believe that it will be Greenwich Crew and RowAmerica Rye who will be fighting it out for the top placing all the way down the course, with RowAmerica Rye taking the victory for the second year in a row. The top five will then be completed by Marin Rowing Association, New Trier High School Rowing and Saugatuck Rowing Club LLC, in that order. However, with a challenging course ahead of them, there could be several surprises that spring up along the way.
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