Rowing together for 44 years
We carry on the history of whaleboat rowing in the San Francisco Bay Area. We’re a nonprofit and a member of the Bay Area Whaleboat Rowing Association.
Join our clubRow your way
From scenic & social events to high-intensity workouts & racing, there are many reasons our club members row.
Learn to row for freeWhaleboats
This is NOT a slim racing shell. Whaleboats, or “Monomoys” were used in life-saving and whaling for most of the 20th century. These open-water boats weigh about one ton and carry a crew of ten: 8 rowers, a coxswain, and a bowhook.
Where we Row
We row year-round in the Renegade and La Sirena, 26′ whaleboats. La Sirena is at South Beach harbor in San Francisco, and Renegade is at the Oakland Estuary. We also row around Alcatraz and various parts of the bay
Be a part of Bay Area nautical history
Whaleboat racing competition took its current form in the Bay Area in 1965 under the sponsorship of maritime companies, using U.S. Coast Guard Monomoys (also known as lifeboats or whaleboats). By 1982, the Bay Area Whaleboat Rowing Association was formed to provide standards for safety and coordinate regattas. Some of our races, such as the Alcatraz race features above from a 1991 newspaper article, are regarded as formidable challenges.
