A reminder for members–the Buoy Ball will SELL OUT. We have limited capacity, so get your tickets soon.
Regatta Fees for all Fall races can be paid now.
Regatta Fees–$30 for Portland Fall Classic, $60 for Head of the Lake and American Lake Fall Classic
Note: Some will get this twice, due to the previous version ending up in many spam folders. Plenty of important information to chew on here.
The 2018 Buoy Ball is November 17 at the boathouse from 6pm-11pm. Catered mexican buffet, dessert, BYOB. 1980’s themed music by DJ Mack, with costume prizes! Tickets are $25/person and should be purchased online. To benefit our annual coaches’ gear fundraiser, a $35 “Deluxe” ticket will also buy you two 1980’s song requests! List your songs on our event sign up page.
Karen Wespi Memorial Service
The memorial service for long time friend-of-the-club Karen Wespi is Saturday October 20 at 11am at Sunset Presbyterian Church in Beaverton, OR – 14986 NW Cornell Rd, Portland, OR 97229. In lieu of flowers the family is asking that those interested donate to ALS research at: the ALS Association or to the GoFundMe site for Karen Wespi and they will forward donations to the ALS association.
Portland Fall Classic Information–
•Entry fee is $30/rower. Pay online or with cash to Peter.
•PFC work parties, Sunday Oct. 21, 9:30-11:00am. Saturday Oct. 27, 9:30-11:30am. Stop by to help us get regatta materials ready for the big day.
•PFC Volunteering. Check the sign up and see if there’s a shift for you. Rowers in non-novice 8+’s should be done by 9:30am on race day.
Weekday Rowing Schedule
The final day for weekday morning rowing is Friday October 26. Rowing without a launch also ends on October 26. Head of the Lake boats can schedule two additional morning practices the week of October 29.
Weekend Rowing Schedule
Beginning November 10, all weekend rowing begins at 7am. Sweep Saturday, sculling Sunday.
Weekday Morning Land Workouts
Beginning November 7, we will have morning erg sessions available. Look for additional announcements.
Thanks to our in-house official, Deirdre, for keeping time from the tip of the island, we have results from this morning’s race. (Note: what no-one else saw: her brave fording of the Willamette to go from launch to officiating perch – well done!).
Congrats to all crews for hard work on the water this a.m., and best of luck to all who will race at American Lake tomorrow!
Hey everyone,
Before the murmurs get too loud, I would like to publicly share that I will be stepping down from coaching and also leaving the city at the end of the month. As some of you know, I was never really a city gal and only meant to stay in the area for a few months…which ended up turning into two and a half years! I’ve gotten an offer for a full-time job up near Bellingham and it is time for me to say farewell and head to a smaller town and get health insurance again.
Thank you so much to all of you for making this team a family and for letting me be a part of it. I feel incredibly lucky to spend every day surrounded by so many strong, smart, talented, kind, and funny people and I am so glad y’all made a convincing argument to stay in one place for as long as I did. (This has officially become my longest team affiliation by over a year!) Expect to see me at many a regatta in that big blue jacket of mine, don’t forget to consider me for composite crews at Cascadia, and, of course, make sure someone makes y’all row feet-out now and again.
I feel like there are more words to be said about how much this team has meant and always will mean to me, but I have to hope the hours spent together will speak for me. I am deeply grateful for and immeasurably proud of everything we have done as a team in the past couple of years.
Thank you.
Love always,Sarah
P.s. Obviously I will be back in town for the Buoy Ball, so make sure you’re ready to party!
Due to continued poor water conditions at Vancouver Lake, the 2018 Row for the Cure has been cancelled. To celebrate 25 years of RFTC, Station L is hosting a scrimmage on Sunday October 7 at 7:30am. All Station L members and rowers who planned to attend RFTC are welcome. Meet at the Station L boathouse for a friendly scrimmage on the Portland Fall Classic course, followed by brunch. More info later this week. No sign up needed.
Station L will re-open our sign up for the American Lake Fall Classic until Wednesday evening, in case any members want to add that regatta. We will submit additional entries by the end of the week. The American Lake regatta is in Tacoma on October 14, with racing at 9am, 11am and 1pm. Sign up on our Event page
Due to 40+ club scullers at the Head of the Dog and 23 boats out of the boathouse, there’s no sculling practice tomorrow.
With increasing darkness, those scullers practicing without a launch must do so during daylight hours only. And, for the month of October, weekday morning coached scullers need to have passed the requisite 4x/2x or 1x captains test, as the darkness makes rowing more dangerous. Questions, contact Peter or Penny.
We’ve gained some additional insight into the City’s River Plan meeting on Tuesday September 25. It will NOT include time for public comment, and the workshop environment is more suited to a limited number of Station L attendees. STL Board members will attend, along with some Portland Boathouse officials. We’ll report back to the membership any and all information gleaned from the session.
Bottom line, we don’t need the Blue Army this time after all. Any member who really wants to attend should coordinate with Terry New.
Hosting our annual fall race takes many hands. Please sign up for shifts ASAP so we know that we will be covered on race weekend. Most rowers will be racing from 745-945am on race day, October 28. (novices race from 10-noon) If you would like to help in a more substantial role, please contact Penny or Peter.
•The City is holding several meetings about their “River Plan”. On Tuesday Sept. 25 from 6-8pm, there is a session for river users like us. We urge club members to attend and give feedback about the needs of the rowing and human powered watercraft community. Link with more details.
•The Station L Board is working with the Portland Boathouse Board on relocation issues. We’ll have an update to share with members in a couple of weeks.
•“What is the picnic row?” It’s Saturday September 22. We will meet at 7am in the 4th bay of the boathouse. Once organized, we row to Lake Oswego at a variable pace. (could take 1.5+ hours). We will take the boats out of the water at George Rogers Park for a break, some food and perhaps a silly land based game. (A vehicle will meet us with slings/food). The row back will be at full pressure (JK). Expect to arrive back at the boathouse around noon. Anyone with greater ambitions can row farther upstream and shorten their break.
The picnic row sign up is open through Monday evening. The event is free for members. Tara will send a note to participants with additional information, including a potluck food sign up.
7am swing shift rowing on T/TH mornings has ended for the year. We will pick it back up in 2019, with a schedule TBD. Thanks to coach Sarah and everyone who participated.
Friday Sept. 14 is the sign up deadline for Row for the Cure and the American Lake Fall Classic. Sign up if you would like to participate. And remember the picnic row on Sept. 22.
