The Orcas Rowing Club's Headless Head regatta is not for the squeamish!
The Headless Head is one of two annual rowing regattas (races) held by OrcasI sland Rowing Association (OIRA). This year it will be held on Saturday October 30th, the day before Halloween.
Boats will be launched starting at 10:00 a.m. and racing will start at 10:30 a.m. There will be two or three ‘flights’ so there should be racing till about 12:30 p.m. The event is open to all experienced rowers of all ages. There are no entry fees or requirements other than to be able and willing to row. The event is an opportunity for the community to see the club in action. All are welcome. There will be a potluck party.
The kind of rowing that OIRA offers and that will take place at the regatta is often called “crew rowing.” It uses very long, very narrow boats. The single seat boats are only as wide as a man’s hips and about 30 feet long. The boats are only kept upright by the rowers technique with their oars. The oars are extremely long and the pivot in oarlocks held away from the hull by outriggers. The boats have sliding seats so the strong muscles in the legs can be used as wells as the back and arms. There are boats with 1, 2, 4 or 8 rowers. It is one of the oldest competitive sports.
Much of the terminology is of French derivation, although the word for a race is “regatta” which is of ancient Italian derivation meaning fight or contest. Typically the regattas in the spring season are shorter sprint races over marked straight lanes. Fall races are typically longer 3km or more over river courses or lakes where only the turns are marked. Those longer races are often called “head races” after some of the first established races which raced at the ‘head’ of a river. The Head Of The Charles regatta is the most well known in the USA.
OIRA has a boathouse at the south end of Cascade Lake in Moran State Park. OIRA offers rowing opportunities to juniors and adults. For information about the regatta, about joining the club or about learning to row contact: www.orcasislandrowing,org, info@orcasislandrowing.org or 376-6935.
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