a few weeks back was The Head of the Charles in Boston Mass.
in all the years of my two sons rowing
I had never witnessed the Head of the Charles
so... this year I made the drive up to Boston to support my younger son Grant and the Wilson Varsity 8 by cheering for them in the 2021 incarnation of the Head of the Charles
it is really an exciting event...
even if it is an 8 hour one way drive to see six seconds of a sixteen minute race
it worked out well...
I was hosted by a graduate of B-CC who I only know peripherally, but accepted the offer to stay in their guest room for the weekend
my hosts were gracious... there home was not far from river and the race end point
which helped to make everything work out wonderfully
bringing bike was an excellent recommendation
made way more sense than trying to drive and find parking near the race course
per my brother Marc's suggestion I opted to watch the race from the Eliot Street Bridge
the last bridge before the race finish
the location that I decided upon gave me a chance to greet the Wilson V8 as they went up stream to stage at the start
then I got to cheer the Wilson boat on as came out from under the bridge and then raced towards the finish
it was quite an experience
the event draws people from all over the country
and perhaps all over the world
it was a beautiful fall day
a day with rain would have made for a different day all together
the crisp fall weather with some warm sun made for a great day for racers and spectators
the Head of the Charles is a "head race"
which is essentially a time trial
so... knowing how the boat you are cheering for is doing is a bit of a mystery
unlike having four boats line up and race simultaneously
it was an exciting day...
the Wilson Varsity 8 Boys finished 30th in their category
while there was a Wilson Varsity 4 Girls that won their category!!!
those young woman scored the best finish at the Head of the Charles in Wilson's 35 years of rowing!!!
AMAZING!!!
it was a wonderful weekend...
I enjoyed myself... did not see Grant other than him passing in the boat out and back
which is fine... I am sure that he was plenty entertained without me following him around like a lost puppy
as said... I brought a bike up to Boston for the event...
did some riding along the river to see the event from a variety of perspectives
got a taste of the Head of the Charles from my limited perspective
now if this were on my Bucket List I could scratch it off
but unfortunately
I do not have a Bucket List
the Wilson Varsity 8 did race win Bucket Hats... but still no bucket list...
