Opening Reflections
During my first visit to the Head of the Charles, I have both proven a truth and deconstructed a lie.
Firstly, the truth; it is undoubtedly accurate that Americans do things bigger and bolder than anywhere else. The sheer mass of people thronged to the banks, the symphony of boats weaving in and out of each other, a humming, thriving energy flow from start to finish. Golf buggies filled with the intricacy of an infrastructure set-up that must take weeks to prepare chart courses through a perpetual human traffic jam that splits the river from a formation of rowing vendors, all competing for the attention of those who have made the trip from across the world. This is unlike any rowing event I have ever attended.
Secondly, let’s debunk a lie. Reports of the death of rowing have been greatly exaggerated. It is alive here in the beating heart of an autumnal Boston. The racing is thick and fast, and the calibre of athletes so high that Olympic starting grids are perhaps the only relevant comparison. The added jeopardy of crashes in this linear time-trial format – a rowing component that explains why broadcasters smile upon Henley Royal Regatta – makes this a compelling proposition. I was told rain and ruin were brought to the Eastern seaboard last year. In 2024, we have been blessed with blue skies and unrelenting sunshine to complement racing that brings beginners and bastions of the sport shoulder to shoulder.
The Charles
What a venue. The magisterial boathouses that line the course are not the titular proposition that so much of sport can become. They are storied and rich in the history of clubs and colleges that have been imposing themselves on the Charles for generations and act as gateways for visiting folk to access this remarkable river. Harvard, Cambridge, Riverside, Northeastern – household names, yet all pitch their boats directly into this whirlwind of activity. The golden hue with which I now view Boston must be qualified by the stunning conditions we have been given. The tips of the trees that line the bank could almost be alight with the golden fire of autumn, propped up by rich greens and pathways strewn with the leaves of a summer quickly fading into the distance. On this sacred course, this weekend feels like the curtain call, the long goodbye before the long winter miles close in upon us all.
The Racing
Friday saw a collection of masters crews take to the water in a stately procession. The schedule was 60% of what was expected over the following two days, but it still felt like lots was happening. Saturday was an explosion though, an instant ratcheting of the volume to bring in the weekenders, the casual spectators, the Bostonians and what felt like every famous rowing name from the past 30 years.
Alumni eights were the first category to catch the eye, as the constants of collegiate rowing pulled on every string to build all-star combinations. The University of Washington took the men’s title and had no fewer than seven Olympians on board, including single sculls bronze medallist Simon Van Dorp and British gold medallist in the eight, Jacob Dawson. Behind them were a strong outfit from Brown, featuring US Olympian Henry Hollingsworth, and Yale in third. Durham University were Great Britain’s fastest finisher.
On the women’s side, Stanford University took the title with a handful of Olympians in a time less than 0.4 seconds faster than a Texas crew. Old Collegians Boat Club, alumni of the University College Dublin, finished fourth.
Championship doubles saw rowing royalty take to the water, as triple Olympic champions Valent and Martin Sinkovic dominated the men’s division. Their victory was secured by a whopping 24 seconds in completely unflinching fashion ahead of Olympic silver medallist Luca Chiumento of Italy. Meanwhile, the remarkable ascendency of Mathilda Hodgkins-Bryne and Becky Wilde continued apace, as they followed up on Olympic bronze with a teammate-toppling win over Green Racing Project, the Irish lightweight double and Lola Anderson and Hannah Scott from the British women’s Olympic champion quad.
Finn Hamill put in a blistering performance representing Waikato Rowing Club of New Zealand to triumph in the men’s championship single, seeing off an illustrious field including Javier Garcia Ordonez and Irish Olympic champion Paul O’Donovan. Home favourite Michelle Sechser, who raced in the colours of Cambridge Boat Club, took the women’s title ahead of a host of Olympic counterparts, including Kara Kohler, Emma Twigg and Imogen Grant.
Elsewhere, German Olympic champion Oliver Zeidler teamed up with his partner, Sofia Meakin, to take the win in the Directors’ Challenge Mixed Doubles whilst Brown University took men’s club eights and Yale University took the women’s equivalent by over 30 seconds.
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