Congratulations to all of the rowers who participated in the 2023 Row Around Manhattan! Eight gigs with about 50 rowers made the journey with us this year! It’s not too late to make a donation to help us meet our fundraising goals!
The Village Community Boathouse hosts free community rowing sessions on Sundays at noon and Wednesday evenings from April through November. Sign up for our Sunday, October 8th session HERE. To save time, please complete our 2023 waiver in advance. Join us for free public boatbuilding sessions on Wednesdays and Sundays at noon — no experience needed! We’ll see you on the water!
The Village Community Boathouse (VCB) is an all volunteer, donation-based nonprofit located on the south side of Pier 40 in Hudson River Park where we build traditional wooden rowing craft and take people rowing at no cost. Our mission is to improve public access to our urban waterways and to introduce the public, especially young people, to the joys of rowing and sailing in New York Harbor; to advance the environmental stewardship of the estuary; and to foster a tradition of maritime hospitality and fellowship. VCB puts thousands of students, residents and international visitors on the water every year. Our boats provide a physical connection to the water to all who live in, work in, or visit Manhattan.
From April through November, VCB offers free Community Rowing on Wednesday evenings and Sundays at noon. Our boatbuilding shop also welcomes volunteers on Wednesdays and Sunday afternoons from November through March. Discover how we maintain our fleet and build new boats. During the rowing season, our boatbuilding program taking a hiatus so our efforts can best be focused on our community rowing program. Please check back with us this fall to work on our next boatbuilding project!
In addition to providing free public rowing and community boatbuilding, VCB sponsors rowing clubs at Stuyvesant High School and the Harbor School, and offers special events such as races, round-Manhattan rows, and camping expeditions. Every year VCB introduces thousands of residents and visitors to the waterways of New York City. Bounding over wakes and waves, dodging traffic in the shipping lanes, the rowers feel the power of the wind and tide, great forces of nature sweeping through the heart of the city.