In the beginning ,

when the Head Of The

Charles was largely a

college-driven event , the riverbanks attracted a college party crowd .

partnerships came the wish to provide a more rich and fulfilling race-day experience , which

LEFT , ABOVE In the 1980s , competitors ocassionally received refreshments from the crowds as they passed through the bridges .

Beer kegs and munchies dominated the tailgate tables , and the riverbank revelers often felt

meant providing things to do and see on the riverbanks . The Rowing and Fitness Expo ,

BOTTOM LEFT A wine bottle and a blanket , burgers and portable gas grills , or the Sunday paper was all you needed to enjoy the races in the decade of the 1980s .

compelled to share their good times with the

TOP RIGHT Crews under the Anderson Bridge .

rowers on the water . A signature photo from the early years was the image of partiers

Peter Fuller Cadillac building on Commonwealth Avenue , moved to the Regatta ’ s launch site at

RIGHT Tagging the Boston University railroad bridge has been an unsactioned ritual since the Regatta began .

lowering a beer can on a string over the side

of a bridge while rowers who had just finished

“ It ’ s more of a

their races waited below .

driver ’ s course ”

tents soon followed , culminating in the creation

The riverbank party scene had grown up

completely independent from the racing on

the water ; the party had never had any official

connection with the Head Of The Charles . That

changed after the inevitable police crackdown

those joyous parties of yore .

“ I thought it would be a success

from the start , but I never dreamt

TOP Massive crowds gather at Magazine beach to cheer , see college friends and enjoy the day on the river .

LEFT Little room is left along the river banks near Cambrige Boat Club during the 1984 regatta .

ABOVE LEFT Enjoying a picnic in 1986 at present day Reunion Village on the Boston shore .

LEFT The Cambridge shore at the Eliot Bridge turn filled to capacity of regatta enthusiasts in 1978 .

BELOW Candles sticks , champagne on ice and the Sunday paper enjoyed across from the Newell Boathouse in 1986 .

The scene on that race day in 1987 , resembled the beginning of Prohibition , with officers summarily disposing of illicit bottles and cans . “ They made a huge display of taking the booze away from people and pouring it down the drain and breaking the bottles , but they did it with good humor ,” recalled MacMahon . “ They didn ’ t do it as officious policemen . The students and the police joked together about it . It was amazing because we thought there was going to be a riot . In one year they managed to get the word out .”

1975

1976

1977

1978

1979

3,200 ATHLETES M 2,600 W 600 3 , 200 ATHLETES M 2,600 W 600

81 % 19 % 81 % 19 %

1980

3,340 ATHLETES M 2,408 W 932

72 % 28 %

1981

1982

3 , 320 ATHLETES M 2 , 283 W 1 , 037

69 % 31 % 3 , 260 ATHLETES M 2,064 W 1,196 63 % 37 %

1983

1984

3,321 ATHLETES M 2,082 W 1,239

63 % 37 % 3 , 348 ATHLETES M 2,058 W 1,290 61 % 39 %

2,718 ATHLETES M 2,168 W 550

80 % 20 %

Bill Gates founds Microsoft

The television series Wheel of Fortune and Saturday Night Live premiere on NBC

Sony ’ s Betamax becomes the first commercially successful home video recording unit

Chrysler Corp offers 1st car rebates

Barry Manilow ’ s Mandy goes gold

2,847 ATHLETES M 2,262 W 585

79 % 21 % 2 , 855 ATHLETES M 2,285 W 393 80 % 20 %

Americans celebrate the Bicentennial

U . S . presidential election in which Jimmy Carter of Georgia defeats President Ford

George H W Bush becomes 11th director of CIA

Muhammad Ali KOs Jan Pierre Coopman in 5 for heavyweight boxing title

1st female cadets accepted to West Point

8 Ohio National Guardsmen indicted for shooting 4 Kent State students

The first home personal computer , Commodore PET , released for retail sale

The New York City blackout of 1977 lasts for 25 hours , resulting in looting and other disorder

Elvis Presley , the king of rock and roll dies in his home in Graceland at age 42 . 75,000 fans lined the streets of Memphis for this funeral

Mixed Eights event added to increase women ’ s participation without decreasing men ’ s as well as to add a fun and competitive event

Club Eight and Four events replaced Intermediate events to decrease numberof eligibility protests over this NAAO classification

Midweight single replaces Intermediate single based upon studies showing the impact of size on speed over the longer distance

Sherry Proctor introduces the new bouys for setting the course , replacing the painted Clorox bottles

The Music for UNICEF Concert is held at the United Nations General Assembly to raise money for UNICEF and promote the Year of the Child

The unemployment rate drops to a low of 5 . 6 %

McDonald ’ s introduces the Happy Meal

The Susan B . Anthony dollar is introduced in the U . S .

Pope John Paul II visits the United States

HOCR is approved as a 501 ( c )( 3 ) organization

Pairs event eliminated

U . S . President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission

The XIII Winter Olympics open in Lake Placid , New York .

U . S . President Jimmy Carter announces that the United States will boycott the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow .

Star Wars Episode V : The Empire Strikes Back is released

Iran releases the 52 Americans held for 444 days within minutes of Ronald Reagan succeeding Jimmy Carter as the 40th President of the United States , ending the Iran hostage crisis .

The first London Marathon starts with 7,500 runners .

U . S . President Ronald Reagan is shot in the chest outside a Washington , D . C . hotel by John Hinckley , Jr .

First Space Shuttle launch : Columbia

Bob Marley , dies aged 36 from cancer

Mixed Eight event eliminated due to the large number of regular crews turned away

The Commodore 64 8-bit home computer is launched by Commodore

AT & T Corporation ordered to divest itself into 22 subdivisions

Argentina invades and occupies the Falkland Islands .

President Ronald Reagan becomes the first American Commander in Chief to address a joint session of the British Parliament .

The first compact discs ( CDs ) are released to the public in Germany .

Björn Borg retires from tennis after winning 5 consecutive Wimbledon championships .

IBM releases the IBM PC XT .

U . S . President Ronald Reagan makes his initial “ Star Wars ” proposal to develop technology to intercept enemy missiles .

The April 1983 U . S . Embassy bombing in Beirut kills 63 people .

Return of the Jedi opens in theatres .

Ronald Reagan announces that the Global Positioning System ( GPS ) will be made available for civilian use .

Olympian Jim Dietz is unable to compete in the HOCR due to back surgery , making this the only year he has not competed since he began in 1965 .

Apple Computer places the Macintosh personal computer on sale in the United States .

The 1984 Winter Olympics are held in Sarajevo , Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia .

The 1984 Summer Olympics are held in Los Angeles , California .

Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi is assassinated by her 2 Sikh security guards in New Delhi .

622 BOATS 229 36

665 BOATS 252 40

669 BOATS 260 35

720 BOATS 280 40

720 BOATS 280 40

706 BOATS 265 38

720 BOATS 280 40

697 BOATS 265 39

721 BOATS 280 40

724 BOATS 280 40