Head Of The Charles Regatta 2017 HOCR Program | Page 37

puts it best: “Jack understood the com-
plexities of keeping people safe while
balancing the operational needs of the
various law enforcement teams. Jack
has been vital in planning and execut-
ing a successful safety program for
decades. Many thousands have enjoyed
the Regatta for over 50 years under
Jack’s watch.”
The Regatta received municipal
funding for just two years: 1988 and
1989. But in 1990 when the line item was
gone and the same year that Jack Bakey
retired as a Major, the Regatta needed to
seek outside funding. The budget could
no longer support the safety needs of
the Regatta. D’Arcy MacMahon, founder
of the HOCR, worked with Bakey to cut
the municipal staffing down as far as
possible, to about 80 officers. During
this time period, Smith and MacMahon
looked into potentially moving the Re-
gatta to Lowell simply to improve nego-
tiations with the police. In order to stay
in Boston, the Regatta needed to scale
OPPOSITE PAGE
By the mid 80’s, the Head Of The Charles was
one of the greatest parties in the city.
back the number of assigned officers
and by 1991, they either needed to raise
entry fees drastically or find corporate
sponsors. And so began the era of cor-
porate sponsorship and the introduction
of the first full-time Executive Director,
Fred Schoch.
of Public Safety Division of State
Police into the new Massachusetts
Department of State Police in 1991.
As a civilian, Bakey faced some of the
Regatta’s greatest safety crisis: the
aftermath and responses to 9/11 and
the Boston Marathon Bombing era.
Jack understood the complexities
of keeping people safe while
balancing the operational needs of
the various law enforcement teams.
Act Three: Our Fair City
Jack Bakey served the Regatta
in many uniforms. Shortly after his re-
tirement, Bakey joined the HOCR staff
as the MDC liaison. This was before
State Police consolidated the Massa-
chusetts Metropolitan Police (MDC),
The Massachusetts Capitol Police,
The Registry of Motor Vehicles Police
and the Massachusetts Department
With the 2001 HOCR just six weeks
after 9/11, the office and Board of Direc-
tors made a collaborative effort to boost
the safety response and preparation for
the Regatta. A command post was set
up in the Department of Public Works
building in Cambridge and each Direc-
tor served a two-hour rotation. Staffing
increased considerably for the year and
included divers who checked each of
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MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION AND RECREATION
FIFTY-THIRD HEAD OF THE CHARLES REGATTA
37