With spring taking hold, the Schuylkill River is coming alive, offering the perfect opportunity to pick up an oar and get out onto the water and enjoy some sculling, writes Edwin Malet for the County Lines Magazine.
Rowers, both experienced and new, carry their boats as singles or in crews of two, four, or eight to the river’s edge before carefully setting them in the water. The shells typically feature two oars per rower, though some are configured for “sweep rowing,” commonly used in racing, where each rower handles a single oar.
The boats are unusually light for their size, with singles weighing around 30 pounds, even at 26 to 30 feet long and about a foot wide.
Because of their high cost, reaching up to $15,000 for an elite carbon-fiber boat for one person and around $80,000 for an eight, most boats are owned by clubs, such as Whitemarsh Boat Club in Conshohocken.
Founded in 2005, the club operates out of the Hines Rowing Center and has 57 club-owned boats along with about 45 privately owned ones. With around 200 members, it is welcoming new rowers for the current season.
Read more about Conshohocken’s Whitemarsh Boat Club and the great Schuylkill River in the County Lines Magazine.
