If you were looking for something outdoorsy to do this past weekend, you should have traveled to Boston, MA, and checked out the 44th annual Head of the Charles Regatta. Featuring over 8,000 rowers and over 300,000 spectators, this surely was an event you did not want to miss.

People come from all over the world to watch and participate in this race. Next to England’s race, this is the second largest rowing event in the world. When that many people make so much effort to see one race, you know that it is a big deal.

The course is 3 miles long– beginning at the Boston University boathouse and ending a couple hundred meters away from Northeastern University’s Henderson boathouse. The course begins by going through the B.U. Bridge, then through a specific arch, and then through five other bridges. If a team does not go through the specified arch or goes out of bounds, they are “awarded” a 60 second penalty (which is a lot).

If the coxswain does not know the course very well, then they will not realize the tricky parts of the course. They don’t realize, for instance, that it’s close to impossible to fit three boats underneath the Weeks pedestrian bridge. Many spectators stand around that bridge because they know that they will see crashes. Another spot to stand if you want to see crashes is by the Elliot bridge. The turn that the Charles makes by the Elliot bridge is pretty sharp, so if a coxswain is not used to the turn, they usually end up cutting people off or having to stop and realign the boat. While this may be no fun for the athletes, this does make it more fun for the spectators. Many spectators only come to see the crashes!

There is SO much to do at the HOCR, and it is so much fun to watch. The organization truly goes all out for this event.

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