Welcome to Club rowing, with its many pleasures and a few frustrations due to current program constraints.

Our sweep season typically gets underway in early May, after the spring floods subside. We then enjoy a long season that stretches late into the fall.

While we plan on having paid coaches for summer sweep learn to row and learn to scull classes and who also will be available for coached practices, the VBC is run by an all-volunteer board that coordinates and facilitates rowing, but does not set or run individual practices. It only takes one energetic and competent oarsman who wants to coordinate and captain a boat--we'll provide the roster, the boat, and the oars, and you do the rest.

Women's & Men's Rowing: Drawing on a strong class of Learn to Sweep graduates in 2006, new members who rowed sweep in high school and college and a return of a group of experienced VBC members who row well, like to race, and have a lot of fun with both. New and old members can contact eachother by referencing the VBC Roster (email Club Secretary if you need an updated roster laura@virginiaboatclub.org) and organize a sweep boat.

In past years, we’ve had two men’s fours and a women’s four—3 fours on the river at the same time, which made for spirited practices and great post-race parties.

And yes, you will need a coxswain. We have several in the club and several new-comer coxies who coxed in college and would like to get back in a boat. Coxswains who don’t row don’t pay dues. By tradition, coxies never pay for beer or cider at Poe’s, Legend's, or any other boatclub venue. Remember, without the coxswain, you can’t have your fun.

An alternative to getting a coxswain—a highly skilled person who can ease around buoys without giving you whiplash and dock without splintering the bow, is to use a rotation of 6 rowers—1 rotating spare and 1 rotating coxswain, with everyone in the lineup taking a turn at being a spare and being a coxswain. The spare will get you through scheduling problems.

You only have to pay over and above your dues to row if you want to be coached by our summer coaches, who typically charge a modest per seat fee for a 60-90 minute coached session.

If you let work get in the way of rowing, then you will nearly always have company at the boathouse either early in the morning or late in the afternoon. At either time, you will find plenty of folks willing to lend you a quick hand with carrying your boat and keeping an eye on you on the water, if only you ask. Just be organized, have your oars on the dock, and remember that water time is precious. If you want some suggestions for likely rowing buddies, contact one of the VBC Officers.

The morning crowd hits the downtown and/or Robious dockbetween 5:45-6:00 AM. Generally there are 4-6 of us launching in the morning and returning by 7:15 A.M. Morning rowers swear by the flat waters, amazing sunrises, sights of eagles hunting for breakfast, and the lack of rowdy boaters churning up the water. The weather is usually calm and dry. It may rain before 6:00 A.M., and after 7:00 A.M, but in my 17 years with the Club, I have seen it rain between 6:00 AM-7:00 AM fewer than a half dozen times. AND, you’ll never arrive at work yawning or lacking focus—that comes with the afternoon slump after lunch.