All-inclusive ‘Stronger Together’ rowing event on Estuary
The East Bay Rowing Club (EBRC) will host its third annual Boats Without Barriers Regatta on Sunday, April 28. The theme of this year’s rowing event on the Oakland-Alameda Estuary is “Stronger Together.” Boats Without Barriers has Masters rowing events for novices, adaptive rowers, men/male-identifying athletes, women/female-identifying athletes, and non-binary-identifying individuals.
The regatta was originally conceived as an alternative to racing in Florida. EBRC had unsuccessfully lobbied US Rowing against holding the Masters National Championships event in Florida in light of the state’s laws banning transgender athletes from women’s and girls’ sports and limiting classroom discussion of LGBTQ topics.
The regatta is now hosted annually in Oakland to honor all who want to participate—a regatta for everybody. EBRC has a mission to make the sport of rowing accessible and welcoming to anyone who is interested in participating.
Boats Without Barriers will take place on the historic racecourse in the Oakland-Alameda Estuary. Racing will be 1,000 meters in sweep and sculling boats. In addition to a full day of sprint distance events, organizers have added fun 500-meter dash events. The event will host participants representing rowing clubs across the country, on behalf of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ+) people and their allies. The proceeds from the 500-meter dash events will benefit the Destiny Arts Center.
Participant info
Deadline for team registration & fees received is Thursday, April 20. Late registration is April 25. Participants may download registration packets online. Please be read the entire five-page regatta packet, as it includes safety protocols and race procedures.
Where to watch
The best places to watch the 1,000-meter races, which start at 8 a.m. and conclude about 4 p.m. Pacific Time, are at Brooklyn Basin (near this year’s finish line) and at the viewing pier in Estuary Park, 115 Embarcadero, next to the Jack London Aquatic Center boathouse. Remember to bring binoculars.
Merch
Commemorative regatta t-shirts will not be sold at the event but are available for purchase online. Many colors and styles are available.
Get more information about the regatta from the East Bay Rowing Club’s Boats Without Barriers web page.
