Established in 1909, the Cambridge Boat Club is a not-for-profit rowing and social club with 325 members who compete in regattas around the world. The club is also active in various community outreach programs; cleaning up the Charles River; supporting other rowing organizations on the river including The third annual CBC Invitational Regatta held on Saturday, July 16th in the words of many of the competitors, “Couldn’t have been better.” And indeed it was a great day on and off the water for the nine teams that came from as far away as Pittsburg and as near as CRI and Union Boat Club.
CBC's Earth Day cleanup of the Charles
Thank you! Blessed with relatively good weather, a stalwart crew of mostly veteran CBCers took on the Charles River trash clean up on April 16th. There was more than the usual rubbish, but the crew was fast at work and finished the task within two hours, collecting 15 bags full. Joelle Cabot valiantly pulled from the river a Shaw’s shopping cart to score the largest item. Add to that a bag of well worn sport clothes, an entire muffler, and a complete tarp, we made a good haul. It goes without saying that most of the bags were filled with the usual stuff - plastic, Styrofoam, bottles, car parts, cigarette butts! A mighty thanks to all: Alfred Bigelow, Joelle Cabot, Maura Conron, Ken Dupuis, Tom Egan, Bruce Gelin, Peggy Gelin, Paul Hoffman, Jane Morse, Oleg Simanovsky, Peter Sturges, Mead Wyman, Janet Solomon, and myself, Harriet Hofheinz.
Girls Take Action Row
CBC hosted 20 girls aged 14-18 as part of the Cambridge Mayor's Program.
Girls Take Action is a Cambridge Mayor’s Program after summer school program for girls aged 14-18 who are encouraged to explore their potential as leaders and young professionals, getting exposure to alternative sport and fitness activities, civic engagements, and issues such as sexual health and skill building. CBC worked with CRLS and CRI to put on a great day in August for this set of potential community leaders.
CBC Victorious at Heineken Regatta
CBC won the Masters "E" 8 for the second year in a row at the Heineken Regatta in Amsterdam March 12-13! The CBC squad won "E" in each of the individual components of the race, by 17 seconds in the 2500m, 0.4 seconds in the 250m, and 37 seconds in the 5000m categories, and finished 16th out of 61 out of all masters crews. Representing CBC was Rich Sampson, Chris Richards, Roger Borggaard, Charlie Hamlin, Greg Wilkins, Fred Schoch, Jim Pierce, Chuck Pieper, and Alden Zecha.
Centennal History Update
Click here to view Cambridge Boat Club—A Centennial History 1909-2009, published in the summer of the centennial year and presented as a gift to the membership.
New to this online version is Peter Tyson’s introductory piece, “A Tale of Two Sites – A Deep Prehistory,” that you’ll find on pages i-xx. Enjoy this and the more than forty other interesting and entertaining articles and shorter pieces by your fellow members that comprise the complete work.
NOTE: Should you wish to purchase extra copies of the bound volume, they are available to members at $25 each. You’ll find them on sale at the Club Gear Table at various events throughout the year.
A Brief History of Cambridge Boat Club
Cambridge Boat Club was founded by civic minded Cantabrigians who gathered to create a common resource for athletics and socializing. The club was incorporated under the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on April 7th, 1909. Its declared purpose was to "encourage athletic exercises, boating and yachting and to establish and maintain a place for social meetings".
This is the era when people began to formally take notice of the importance of individuals and groups to marshall their forces, in stewardship of the nation's open spaces and recreational lands. It is the time of Teddy Roosevelt's Presidency, the establishment of many of our great national parks and the environmental movement so capably espoused by the impassioned photography of Walter Muir. Mount Auburn Cemetery and Frederick Law Olmsted's Emerald Necklace are still in their infancy.