On the occasion of our 50th anniversary, the New Haven Rowing Club (NHRC) has created a Legacy Committee to present to the membership and others details about the club’s storied past. A thorough history of the club is linked to the content of this body of work, including a stunning video of the construction, by club members, of the award-winning boathouse in Oxford, Connecticut. Through a collection of interviews, photos, videos, and artifacts, this Legacy captures the history of the club’s growth and achievements. It gathers and publishes an exposition of lists and photos of memorable events; notable regattas with their results; and club rosters, past presidents, and much more. The Legacy of the NHRC will be documented and preserved for the ages.
The NHRC’s home is its boathouse, situated on the east bank of the beautiful Housatonic River in the town of Oxford, about fifteen miles west of New Haven. Its activities share the wide, calm waters of the river with Yale University’s rowing program, located in Derby. NHRC has become a mecca for those who love the sport of rowing. Open to all, it has always been welcoming to aspiring rowers—young, old, novice, experienced—anyone who seeks to enhance their health and fitness. All are welcome to join in competition or simply enjoy the camaraderie that comes with the rowing endeavor and the social aspects of the club. NHRC enjoys a mature rowing program which has evolved from an interesting past.
The NHRC Legacy began in New Haven in 1970, when, as a fledgling club, it first competed in local regattas, then national, then international. Today, the club competes throughout the world and has become known and respected in the rowing community. It has developed a Legacy: an accumulation of achievements that includes wins at local, national, and World Championship regattas; a decades-long roster of world-class athletes and coaches; a superb, member-built boathouse; and a rowing program that welcomes all levels of rowing experience. Beyond these, the club has its most valuable asset: the membership. Loyalty, energy, generosity, enthusiasm, and love define the membership. It is for them and future club members that this Legacy is offered.
This Legacy “story” is a compilation of club achievements and the events and people who contributed to them. It features the “History of the Club” as written by Norm Thetford; Mike Weiner’s stunning video footage of the boathouse construction by club members; races by date, each with its own link to notes about the race; lists of club Presidents, rosters, and many photos of people and events.
This Legacy Committee is committed to sustaining the New Haven Rowing Club’s achievements. Each year, in January, an Annual Summary will be written to document the growth and achievements of NHRC over the preceding year. A repository of these Annual Summaries will constitute the basis for sustaining our legacy.
—Baxter Walsh, Chair, Legacy Committee, March 2021