1965 |
Over the next twelve months , the first Head Of The Charles came together through
the imagination and efforts of Dr . Howard
McIntyre , a 32-year-old neurologist and
chairman of the Cambridge Boat Club
rowing committee , and D ’ Arcy MacMahon , a
25-year-old executive with the John Hancock
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playful boast would prove , or how it would nearly
came back to haunt him
in that first Regatta .
There were birthing pains
that first year ; the timing
clocks malfunctioned — a
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Announcement of the first Regatta published in The Boston Globe in 1965 |
PHOTO : HOCR ARCHIVES |
‘ we ’ d like to row in front of a crowd ’”
— D ’ ARCY MACMAHON
LEFT Northeastern University crossing the finish line in the Senior Eight-Oared Shells event in 1967 . Note the newly built Prudential tower in the skyline and the young vegetation of the then newly established park for the Metropolitan Boston Art Center , years earlier in 1959 . |
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company , and one-time stroke of the |
second hand got stuck |
SCAN TO READ THE NEWS COVERAGE OF THE EARLY YEARS |
LEFT Jerry Olrich , co-founder , tabulates the official results of the 1967 Regatta . |
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University of Pennsylvania lightweight four . A race committee comprised of a dozen-odd
volunteers from the Cambridge Boat Club
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on one of the finish-line clocks — and the initial
results had to be checked
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Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner . Further reproduction prohibited without permission . |
RIGHT Co-founders Howard McIntyre announcing while D ’ Arcy MacMahon , makes notes leaning over the table during the 1967 Regatta |
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and the wider Boston rowing community |
and changed . But the |
SCAN TO VIEW MORE EARLY IMAGES |
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completed the initial Regatta staff . |
timing tangles were |
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mitigated greatly by the |
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner . Further reproduction prohibited without permission . |
An out-of-season regatta should be different , felt McIntyre and MacMahon , so instead of
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ABOVE Cover of the 1965 official program . |
spirit and spirits at the post-Regatta party —“ The
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PHOTO : HOCR ARCHIVES |
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a series of 2000-meter races on the Basin |
SCAN TO VEIW THE COMPLETE 1965 PROGRAM |
more alcohol we poured |
racecourse , they opted to try a variation of a British “ head ” race . The idea for the
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into everybody , the less concerned with whether the results were
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PHOTO : HOCR ARCHIVES |
THE ORIGIN OF THE RACE COURSE |
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head race — single file , against the clock — came from Ernie Arlett , a son of Henleyon-Thames
, England , who ’ d spent all of his
52 years in the sport of rowing , as athlete ,
boatman and coach , and had just recently
been named head coach of the new crew
program at Northeastern . A head race ,
Arlett explained , allowed the crews to use
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right or not ,” said MacMahon — and delayed results notwithstanding , rowers came away
upbeat and positive about racing in October .
For the college crews particularly , it gave the
autumn weeks on the water a purpose . Prior
to the Head Of The Charles , all the college
rowers had to look forward to in the fall was
gradually deteriorating weather until — worst
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The course length and layout was a result of the event management requirments . The timing system required electricity so the start was set at Boston University boathouse just above the basin . From there MacMahon pedaled upstream on his mother ’ s bicycle , which was equipped with an odometer . “ We were thinking of having the finish line at the CBC because the club members could watch ,” MacMahon said . “... but that won ’ t work because all the people will accumulate there . We also wanted the last strokes of the race should be straightaway so the rowers could really go for it .”So MacMahon continued pedaling , found an electrical pole near the pier at the then recently defunct Metropolitan Boston Art Center ’ s outdoor theater on the Boston side and established the finish line there . “ The odometer said it was almost three miles ,” he said , “ so we declared that it was a precisely surveyed 3-mile course .”Note that on this original course map from the 1965 program back cover , Grenough Boulevard , on the Cambridge side of the finish line , is yet to be built . |
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the narrower sections of a river when the |
of all — winter forced them inside to train on |
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weather was iffy , early or late in the season . In |
the tanks . For the club rowers , the Regatta |
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Britain , head races were common in the early |
gave them incentive to stay on the water just |
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spring . Using the odometer on his mother ’ s |
a little deeper into the season . |
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bicycle , MacMahon laid out a three-mile |
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course that ran upstream from the Boston
University boathouse to the Charles River
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Fixing a permanent date for the Regatta became something of a negotiation with
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BELOW Crews head up towards the Start Line chute for the 1968 Regatta . Note the Jordan Marsh Co . warehouse in the present location of the Hyatt hotel . SCAN TO VIEW MORE EARLY IMAGES
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Reservation Park across from the WBZ TV |
the different constituencies . The club rowers |
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studios , the very course still rowed today . |
wanted it as early as possible , while the |
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The first Regatta was set for the Saturday of |
weather was still good . College coaches |
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Columbus Day weekend . |
preferred it as late as possible , in order that |
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they might have more time to work out the |
MAP : HOCR ARCHIVES |
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At the winter meetings of the National |
kinks and rust in their crews after a summer |
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Association of Amateur Oarsmen in New York |
off . After the Columbus Day weekend |
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in January 1965 , MacMahon mischievously |
inaugural , organizers settled on the last |
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told the rowing community that the Head |
Sunday in October as race day , eventually |
1965 ■■
Inaugural Regatta modeled after the Head Of The River race in England ■■
The Boston Globe provides financial support ■■
The Metropolitan District Commission MDC votes to close indefinitely the Metropolitan Boston Arts Center at the Herter Park , future location of the HOCR finish line ■■
New York World ’ s Fair closes on October 17 ■■
1st ground station-to-aircraft radio communication via satellite ■■
Maple Leaf becomes official flag of Canada ■■
Martin Luther King Jr led 25 , 000 to state capitol in Montgomery , Al ■■
US troops ordered to fight offensively in Vietnam ■■
69th Boston Marathon won by Morio Shigematsu of Japan in 2:16:33
13 17Of The Charles was “ destined to become a classic .” Little did he know how prophetic his
1966 ■■
Senior Singles trophy named after Cambridge Boat Club member Laurence Curtis ■■
Beatles ’ Rubber Soul , album goes # 1 and stays # 1 for 6 weeks ■■
Georges Pompidou appointed French premier ■■
LBJ says US should stay in S Vietnam until communist aggression ends ■■
Metropolitan Opera House opens in Lincoln Center ■■
Dow-Jones Index hits record 995 points ■■
25 , 000 anti war demonstrators march in New York City ■■
Mamas & Papas Monday Monday hits # 1105 BOATS 57 12 36
1967 ■■
First use of Fall Rowing Festival term ■■
The Boston Globe discontinues sponsorship of the Regatta ■■
Agreement reached with the Metropolitan District Commision for patrolling the river and roadways during the Regatta ■■
Novice Singles event added to replace the College Singles ■■
Regatta approves creation of silver plated second place medals ■■
Timing Committee uses accurate timing watches and communicates all start and finish times to Cambridge BC for computing finishing times ■■
Ivy league bans off-season competition441 ATHLETES M 441 W 0415 ATHLETES M 415 W 0 115 BOATS 68
moving to the next-to-last weekend of the month when the Regatta became a two-day .
19 281968 ■■
Mayor ’ s Office of the City of Boston agrees to donate a perpetual trophy for the Junior Eights event as is named The Boston Mayor ’ s Cup ■■
Ivy League lifts off-season competition ban ■■
Added a Junior Doubles event ■■
Budget set at a minimum of $ 1 , 200 and a maximum of $ 1,600 ■■
Entry fees : Singles $ 5 , Fours $ 15 , Eights $ 25 ■■
1st class postage raised from 5 cents to 6 cents ■■
Yale University announces it is going co-educational598 ATHLETES M 598 W 0153 BOATS 78 5 30 40
1969 |
PHOTO : HOCR ARCHIVES
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First oarswoman , Gail Pierson ( Cromwell ) of Cambridge BC , competes in Novice Single Sculls event ■■
US Congress doubles president salary ■■
Beatles release Yellow Submarine album in the United Kingdom ■■
Richard M Nixon inaugurated as president ■■
US population reaches 200 million ■■
Boston Bruins scores a NHL record 8 goals in 1 period ■■
1st Test flight of Boeing 747 jumbo jet743 ATHLETES M 742 W 199.9 % < 0.1 %175 BOATS 80 8 |
34 53 |
1970 ■■
Ficticious Charles Attager becomes the formal entry contact to shield Entry Volunteers from calls at work ■■
Computer Timing implements computer terminals at the start and finish ■■
Course records fall in all 13 events in windless conditions ■■
Three oarswomen compete in Junior Lightweight Singles event including Gail Pierson ( Cromwell ) of Cambridge BC ■■
Beatles release Hey Jude album ■■
Kent State shooting occur during student protests which grow violent ■■
The first Earth Day is observed . ■■
Environmental Protection Agency created848 ATHLETES M 845 W 399.9 % < 0.1 %202 BOATS 87 14 44 57
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1971 ■■
Cigarette advertisements banned on TV ■■
Apollo 14 launched , 1st landing in lunar highlands ■■
British car maker Rolls Royce declared itself bankrupt ■■
After 1 , 200 years Britain abandons 12-shilling system for decimal ■■
Boston Bruins begin 13 NHL game win streak ■■
President Richard Nixon ends the United States Gold standard monetary policy1,335 ATHLETES M 1,330 W 599.9 % < 0.1 %325 BOATS 156 15 30 75 128
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1972 ■■
Increased participation of women with 124 rowing in 7 singles and 13 eights ■■
NASA announces development of space shuttle program ■■
Sales of the Volkswagen Beetle model exceed those of Ford Model-T . ■■
Richard Nixon becomes 1st US president to visit China ■■
LA Lakers broke NBA record by winning 69 of 82 games1,441 ATHLETES M 1,317 W 12492 % 8 %339 BOATS 132 18 23 69 97
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1973 ■■
Cambridge Boat Club officially takes over the responsibility for the Regatta and places it under the trusteeship of three club members appointed annually by the Club ’ s Board of Directors ■■
Four Watergate burglars plead guilty in federal court ■■
Boston Red Sox sign Orlando Cepeda as 1st player signed as a DH ■■
US & Vietnam sign cease-fire , ending longest US war and military draft ■■
US dollar devalues 10 %1,767 ATHLETES M 1,505 W 26285 % 15 %404 BOATS 163 23 20 66 132
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1974 ■■
541 boats with 2 , 436 participating — 2,043 men ( 84 %) and 393 women ( 16 %) ■■
Nixon refuses to hand over tapes subpoenaed by Watergate Committee ■■
Loch Ness Monster photographed ■■
Gold hits record $ 126 . 50 an ounce in London , England . ■■
Happy Days begins an 11 year run on ABC ■■
1st class postage raised to 10 cents from 8 cents2,436 ATHLETES M 2,043 W 39384 % 16 %541 BOATS 201 25 30 110 175
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