Pioneer Rowing Club ~ 4K Race in Northfield, MA on October 12, 2013

The Pioneer Rowing Club

(out of Pioneer Valley Regional School in Northfield, MA)

is hosting their 2nd annual regatta on

Saturday, October 12, 2013

9:00 a.m. Start

Small Stake Race, 4K 

on the Connecticut River in Northfield, MA

High School students and women's masters are invited. 

Pioneer Rowing Club is just trying to cover the cost of a couple sanicans and some award medals, so the cost of entry is $80, unlimited number of entries. Events: 1X, 2X, 4+.

Lenox, Holyoke, Springfield and the Pioneer Rowing Club are participating. They would love to have anyone from PRC or RowBOC join in on the fun. 

It is a small event, & real informal.

We row about 3 miles north of NMH on the same side of the river. We actually launch and row upstream 500 meters and we are in New Hampshire. It is a private dock on the river. If a large contingent of the Putney Rowing Club is interested I would have you launch at the Northfield Boat Ramp which is about a 1/4 mile from our dock, if there is only a few, then we could fit you on our small postage stamp piece of land along the river.

Phone Robert W Englehardt at 413-695-7971 if you want to talk directly or have any questions.

PRC Board Meeting Monday, October 7, 2013

The next PRC Board meeting will be held at King Boatworks on Monday, October 7, 2013 at 5:30 p.m. The membership is invited to attend.

Annual Source to Sea Cleanup ~ Saturday September 28 at 9:00 a.m.

Hello Rowers,

 

It’s that time of year again—the annual Source to Sea Cleanup, sponsored by the Connecticut River Watershed Council.  This year, we’ll meet Saturday morning, Sept. 28, at 9 am (Hey, you’ll be down around the boat house anyway...) at the PRC.  I’ll have garbage bags and gloves available.  It only takes an hour, and last year we had a good group.  The several bags of junk we collected not only helped clean the river and banks, it also helped spiff up the place for the regatta.

 

For more information, go to: http://www.ctriver.org/the-rivers-hide-more-trash-than-you-think-need-your-help/

 

Hope to see lots of you next Saturday. Contact me if you’ve got questions.

 

Elizabeth

Is It Clean?

Want to know how clean the Connecticut River is when you are out rowing or swimming?

There is a new link on the PRC Website LINKS PAGE, under the Navigation Menu.

Connecticut River Bacteria Data:

Is It Clean?

This link goes to the Connecticut River.US website. The map identifies sites recently sampled for Escheria coli bacteria levels, also called E. coli bacteria. You are able to use the interactive menu to search various locations on the Connecticut River to see what the bacteria levels are.

FLAG	RECREATION THRESHOLD	BACTERiA COUNT
BLUE	Clean for swimming and boating	<235 cfu/100 ml
YELLOW	Clean for boating only	235 - 575 cfu/100 ml
RED	Not clean for swimming or boating	>575 cfu/100 ml

Check out the bacteria levels where you are boating and swimming so you know what the risk is when you are in or on the water.

2013 Connecticut River Water Quality Monitoring Program

Five PRC members, Carol C., Elizabeth M., Meredith W., Sally N. and Jim R., are participating this year in sampling the water of the Connecticut River for the 2013 Connecticut River Water Quality Monitoring Program conducted by the Connecticut River Watershed Council, Inc. We take samples every other Wednesday at two locations: the PRC docks and approximately 100' upstream from the mouth of Sacketts Brook. A few days later the results of the testing of our samples, and those from many other volunteers working along the Connecticut and its tributaries, are posted online. We then print out the results of our sampling and post them on the outside of the Heller Boathouse.

The samples are being tested for levels of E. Coli bacteria. Two weeks ago our sampling revealed an abnormally high E. Coli count which deemed our section of the river to be flagged red suggesting that the water was unsafe for boating and swimming. A second test was granted for one week later and the count had dropped to safe levels.

So look for the latest results posted on the boathouse wall and also consider the attached upcoming event held in conjunction with the Council's annual meeting on July 21.

Thanks, JimSecretary, Putney Rowing Club

PLEASE make sure the boathouses are locked before leaving!

Hi all.  I hope you're getting out on the river.  It has been beautiful.

Just a friendly reminder to make sure the boathouses are locked before leaving.  

And set the combination to 0000.  

The small boathouse was left unlocked when I checked it at 6:00PM last evening.  

Thanks!
Oliver

Twelfth Inaugural Black Fly Regatta on Saturday June 22, 2013

"At the other end of the pomp-and-circumstance spectrum is the Black Fly Regatta . . . It's tough to imagine a more irreverent rowing race - or one that is as much fun."

"Morde Me!" indeed, flies. Chip Davis, the introspective, humble, and virtuous publisher of Rowing News magazine (aka the magazine of rowing) poignantly compared the Black Fly Regatta with England's Henley Royal Regatta in his September 2009 Publisher's Note. Unfortunately, a last-minute editorial decision left staff photos of both events on the newsroom floor. Can you guess which one is the Black Fly Regatta and which one is Henley Royal?

(Hint: We're ranked #3. Royal Henley's ranked #7.)

So what are you waiting for? C'mon and join the largest swarm of scullers ever to start en masse north of the Tropic of Cancer for the Twelfth Inaugural Black Fly Regatta on Saturday June 22, 2013.

6000 meters of the Second Law of Thermodynamics.

(Hey, Chip. You didn't say which end of the spectrum the Black Flies inhabit. Are we infrared or ultraviolet?)

As long as we keep our powder dry, the shotgun will blast and the mass start will unravel at 9:01:52 a.m. EDST, more or less. Our delirious volunteers will be on hand to greet you at 7 a.m., more or less.

And don't miss the pre-regatta press conference at 8 a.m-ish. Please note I will not be taking questions.

Pay your dues

So what's this going to cost? Plenty. After all, how many Euros would you expect to pay to be at the opposite end of the spectrum from the Henley Royal Regatta? 100? 200? More? I like the way you're thinking. You can't buy this kind of insouciance just anywhere, you know. But with the Greek Banks foundering like Odysseus on the wine-dark sea, I must request you pay in U. S. Dollars this year. Don't fret. Self-restraint is the hallmark of the Black Fly Scullers. We're not gonna let this media blitz go to our swollen heads. So for the low, low, price of only $40.00 you, too, can become a member of the Black Fly Scullers for the entire year which entitles you to come play with us on the Comerford Reservoir.

Larvae and Pupae scull free -- sort of

I know it's hard to raise a swarm. And thanks to our recently approved IMF loan, the Black Fly Scullers can offer reduced membership dues for all you little larvae out there. Yep, you can join for just $10! Heck, you'll eat that much food during "Sam 'n Ella's Scullers's Breakfast." Not to mention the prizes. Talk about losing money. Now you know why the IMF is in such rough shape.

Hey, Pupae, don't feel left out. I remember what it was like to be a poor, starving, college kid. And in a few years, I won't be able to remember anything. So I gotta act now. If you are a "Student/Athalete" Pupae (aka "SAP") -- which means you are age 18 through 26, currently enrolled in college, or post-graduate school and/or training for the U23 or National Team (of any sovereign nation except Switzerland!) -- then you can pay only $20. I know, that cuts into your beer money. But life is all about choices.

I know how grateful you are. You can express your thanks by waiting for me to cross the finish line before you do.

Respect your elders!

As an added bonus, your membership entitles you to participate in the "Black Flyathlon" (copyright Black Fly Scullers, Inc. 2010), a nordic ski schuss amid the backwoods of the Northeast Kingdom which starts precisely at noon on the Saturday after the CRASH-Bs. (Details below) Two races for the price of one! Double your chances of winning a prize! Or catastrophic injury! What a deal!

Our factory-trained representatives are ready, able, and willing to process your registration.

Just click on the "Register Now!" or "Join Us Today!" tabs and you are on your way.