The New Haven Rowing Club is a private, non-profit,

rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically atta ...

club on the

Housatonic River The Housatonic River ( ) is a river, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 in western Massachusetts and western Connecticut in the United S ...

Oxford, Connecticut Oxford is a residential town located in western New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 12,706 at the 2020 Census. Oxford is the 26th-wealthiest town in the state by median household income. Distinct settled areas in the ...

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

. Founded in 1970 by Tony Johnson,

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

Rowing coach, to allow him to continue training his athletes throughout the summer. Late in 1970, several of the "old-timers" began to show up at the Yale

boathouse A boathouse (or a boat house) is a building especially designed for the storage of boats, normally smaller craft for sports or leisure use. describing the facilities These are typically located on open water, such as on a river. Often the boats ...

Derby, CT Derby is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, approximately 8 miles west-northwest of New Haven. It is located in southwest Connecticut at the confluence of the Housatonic and Naugatuck Rivers. It borders the cities of Ansoni ...

, and thus began the Masters program of the New Haven Rowing Club . New Haven Rowing Club used the Yale University Boathouse until 1991, when Yale needed more space and New Haven Rowing Club was also looking to increase its size. In 1992 land was acquired four miles north of the Yale boathouse, just over the Oxford Town line, on the Housatonic River. Over the next two years the boathouse was built by its members using a design by architect and fellow member Stuart Lathers. New Haven Rowing Club hosts two annual

regattas Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and other wate ...

, the Derby Sweeps and Sculls and the

Head of the Housatonic A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple animals may ...

. Derby Sweeps and Sculls is a sprint race along a straight 1000 meter long course that is held in June. It runs upstream (north) and finishes at the southern end of

Indian Well State Park Indian Well State Park is a public recreation area occupying on the west bank of Lake Housatonic, an impoundment of the Housatonic River, within the city limits of Shelton, Connecticut. The state park's scenic features include a horsetail wat ...

. Head of the Housatonic is a 2.3 mile

head race A head race is a time-trial competition in the sport of rowing. Head races are typically held in the fall, winter and spring seasons. These events draw many athletes as well as observers. In this form of racing, rowers race against the clock wh ...

held in October. It starts south of Indian Well State Park and finishes at the New Haven Rowing Club Boathouse.

References

External links

New Haven Rowing Club
webpage
Head of the Housatonic
webpage
Stuart Lathers Associates, LLC: Designer of the Boathouse
Rowing clubs in the United States Boathouses in the United States 1970 establishments in Connecticut {{US-sport-org-stub