On Saturday, November 9, with smoke from New Jersey brush fires blanketing the Manhattan skies, fifteen high school rowing crews from Village Community Boathouse, New York Harbor School, Rocking the Boat from the Bronx, and from Connecticut Ledyard Rowin’ and Sound School, met for the 2024 edition of our annual Youth Race. After a breakfast of bagels, cream cheese, OJ, and coffee, the crews got a quick explanation of the races and we started ordering them into boats.

First event was the basin laps. Due to the large number of crews this year, the basin heats were cut to two heats, with both times counting. In the Seasoned category, NY Harbor School’s Hawk showed a dominating performance with a total time of 6:38 minutes, easily besting the VCB Wet Sox at 6:56. In the Novice category VCB’s Seas the Day won out with a time of 7:06 over NYHS Ships and Giggles at 7:35. In the Girls category NYHS Pier Pressure with a time of 7:42 barely pressed out VCB’s Oar We There Yet at 7:48.

The grills were started up around 11 and our volunteers started piling on the burgers and hot dogs. We managed to finish the basin laps ahead of schedule, giving the teams extra time to eat lunch before the river race began. For the river race, crews rowed out of the basin and south towards Pier 26, where Ingo Gunther had placed a mega-yacht fender rescued from the river earlier this year. Crews circled the fender and headed back to Pier 40. For the river race in the Seasoned category, NYHS Hawk won again with a time of 9:08. Among the Novice, VCB’s Seas the Day won with a time of 9:39, and for the Girls NYH’s Pier Pressure at 11:16 narrowly defeated VCB’s Oar We There Yet at 11:22.

For the head-to-head sprints we had a new system—we strung a line from a mooring to the pier with four fenders on it. Each coxswain held one of the fenders and, at the blast of the cannon, released it and raced to the western end of the basin. In the Girls category this time VCB’s Oar We There Yet came in first beating out NYHS Pier Pressure, followed by Rocking the Boat’s Vixens and Sound School’s SSG. In the Novice category, VCB’s Seas the Day again emerged victorious, followed by NYHS Ships and Giggles, Sound School’s VJS, and the Frankencrew coming from VCB, Harbor School, and Sound School, the Sharks, coming in last. In the Seasoned category, the first head-to-head sprint saw NYHS Hawk beat VCB's Wet Sox and NYHS Butterface . The second seasoned head-to-head sprint had Sound School's Bullet Boat beat SS Last Place , followed by Ledyard River Rats (#13) and RTB's Cool Kids.

Following Andrew Leung’s mysterious calculation the overall winners were decided:

Seasoned: New York Harbor School—Hawk

Novice: Village Community Boathouse—Seas the Day

Girls: New York Harbor School—Pier Pressure

As a special finale, Rocking the Boat brought down the Bronx Star, its replica of the American Star, victorious in 1824 and gifted to Revolutionary War hero General Lafayette. Reenactors from the American Friends of Lafayette were present to witness the race between the Bronx Star and VCB’s Hudson Star, completed this summer in our boatbuilding program. The race consisted of two head-to-head sprints between crews from RTB and VCB, with the crews swapping boats between. VCB’s crew in the Hudson Star won the first sprint by a margin of about 30 seconds, and in the second sprint, RTB’s crew in the Hudson Star won by about 15 seconds. Awards were given by the General’s attaché to the VCB crew and to Lorne Swarthout, lead boatbuilder for the Hudson Star.

Big thanks to all the volunteers who made the day a success. Thanks to Rocking the Boat for lending a chase boat for the event. Also a shout out to the coaches who brought so many exceptional young rowers to this event.

Report by Marcel Dejean, Regatta Organizer

A 5-minute rough video cut from the race.

2024 VCB Youth Regatta