Pirates of the Charles

RocknRow descended on the Charles River in full regalia this morning. The adventure began at the boathouse at 6:30 (7 am for Hancke) where we met to rig up Bertha. Paul led the charge with his trademark cool confidence, deftly loading,tying, and balancing the trailer with the air of a practiced CDL certified driver. The excitement built as the Boston skyline came into view from the Tobin bridge, and in no time we pulled into the Community Rowing parking lot, where their slick, modern suite of buildings redefined our notion of "boathouse."
The gang of pirates included John Hancke, proudly rowing his new carbon Alden Star, Eileen Perry and Charlie Harak in new club Aldens,and Team Maas in their 24s.
The current took us swiftly down river all the way to the Longfellow bridge, with just one pitstop to fine tune gear/ogle at the alumni at the Harvard boathouse. The row home presented more of a challenge, as the pirate gang ran out of juice fighting the headwind and current up the river, but in due time we landed back at the Community Rowing dock, where Eileen kissed the weathered floorboards and Hancke boldly proclaimed that it was his "best row ever."
The gang refueled at Victors with omelets and blueberry pancakes, then piled back into Paul's rig for the trek home.
Check back later for photos, and don't miss our next RocknRow adventure!