Entry Rules & Applications
2008 Event Schedule
Registration / Check In
Racing At Head Of The Charles
The Race Course
General Responsibilities & Rules of Racing
Traffic Rules
Starting Procedures
Steering the Head Of The Charles
Coxswain Clinic
Maps
Parking and Launching
COMPETITORS: RACING AT THE HEAD OF THE CHARLES
Racing at Head Of The Charles is a challenge to experienced and novice competitors alike. Every year crews and scullers race along the many bends of the 3 mile course, navigating through buoys, boats and bridges. At the Head Of The Charles, a poorly made turn or single buoy violation can cost a first place medal.
Competitors are required to become familiar with all of the 2008 Official Handbook, Available August, 2008.

Race Course Description

The Race Course can be downloaded as a (PDF format). You need Adobe Acrobat Reader 4.0 (available free of charge at Adobe), to successfully download the map of your choice.

The Race Course starts at the Boston University Boathouse and goes almost immediately under the combination of a railroad trestle bridge and the B.U. Bridge. It then proceeds through 5 (five) triple-arch bridges to the Finish Line approximately 3 miles upstream. While the railroad trestle bridge's second arch from the right (Cambridge) shore is the mandated lane and the center arch of the five remaining bridges is the preferred route over the rest of the course, the right (closest to the Cambridge shore) arch of four of those remaining bridges may be used when a center arch appears too congested, the exception being the Lars Anderson Bridge (by Harvard's Weld Boathouse), whose right (closest to the Cambridge shore) arch is out of bounds. Going through the right arch (closest to the Cambridge shore) of either the railroad trestle bridge (by the B.U. Bridge) or the Lars Anderson Bridge (by Harvard's Weld Boathouse), or going through any bridge's left (closest to the Boston shore) arch, will result in a 60-second penalty in addition to any buoy violation penalties incurred by doing so.

The Race Course is bounded by a continuous line of orange buoys to the left (Boston side, coxswain's view) and an intermittent line of green buoys to the right (Cambridge side, coxswain's view). Where there are no green buoys, the Cambridge shore is the right side boundary of the course.

All coxswains in the club events and coxswains who have never before raced in the Regatta are strongly advised to attend the Coxswains' Tour.

Bridge Traffic Diagrams can be downloaded (63.0 KB) as a (PDF format). You need Adobe Acrobat Reader 4.0 (available free of charge at Adobe), to successfully download the map of your choice.

OFFICIAL 2008 SPONSORS