Lake Merritt Sprints: We Are Everywhere

Special: Lake Merritt Sprints and Report from the West Coast Annex of NHRC, by Steve Gurney

The membership has remained stable, the assets preserved in top condition, and the finances are sound. The members stress their interest in competing regionally and nationally.

The entire membership participated in the Lake Merritt Sprints in Oakland, California, over the weekend of June 15. Lake Merritt is a beautiful u-shaped lake located spectacularly in downtown Oakland. It is home to a large rowing and sculling contingent from the Lake Merritt Rowing Club there, plus a sailing program. Nearby rowing clubs include Marin, Los Gatos, Lake Natoma, Berkeley, Jack London Aquatic Center, and San Francisco Rowing Club, among others. The race course was very professional and complete with fully buoyed seven lanes, stake boats with friendly attendants, and attentive patrol boats. The regatta combined thorough planning, attention to detail, convenience, informality and positive vibes.

As it happened, the New Haven Rowing Club acquitted itself satisfactorily, winning the over age 65 masters events first in heavyweights and then followed in lightweights. Of note, the events were scheduled with only 14 minutes between them, which required rowing back to the launch dock to exchange a bow lane number for a different one and then proceeding to the starting line for the second event without delay, requiring close teamwork. A very accommodating and prepared launch control official stood waiting at the dock with new bow number poised in one hand to insert where the old number was removed by the other hand, and the exchange was accomplished on the fly, so to speak. The starter at the line for the lightweight event was patient and the stake boat official prepared in advance for alignment in the light wind conditions as soon as the stern of the New Haven boat touched her hand in the water. It could be said that under the circumstances these combined sprint events also constituted the first head race of the season, on a shortened back-and-forth course of 3000 meters.