CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Rain greeted the first rowers at the 61st Head of the Charles Regatta in Cambridge, Mass., on Friday, but organizers said a wet start would not slow down one of the region’s signature autumn weekends on the river.
Thousands of athletes are on the Charles for the event, which stretches through Saturday and Sunday. Members of the regatta leadership told reporters a breezy Saturday was in the forecast. The event’s founder argued that a little rain can even help crews, since it tends to calm the surface of the water.
Racers interviewed on the bank said they planned to concentrate on their own lanes and the finish rather than the clouds overhead, and several said they did not mind pulling an oar in the wet.
Boston University is one of the hometown programs with a heavy presence on the course. The Terriers have entries across men’s, women’s and women’s lightweight rowing, with crews listed in club eights, a lightweight four, a grand master eight and the men’s championship eight.
BU’s men’s rowing head coach, Thomas Bohrer, raced himself in the grand master and veteran singles and finished 29th, clocking 20:09.082 over the head race course.
According to the posted race order, BU’s men’s championship eight goes off at 3:20 with an A boat at bow 14 and a B boat at bow 21. The women’s lightweight four has two boats in bows 2 and 3, set for 1:51 p.m.
Head races send boats off one at a time against the clock, so the bow numbers set the starting order on the river. Spectators line the bridges and banks along the course for the full weekend, rain or not.
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