Head of the Charles
Oct. 16th, 2002 07:24 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
magidThere were a lot of rowers out this morning, in the predawn drizzle, lights at either end of their shells. I'd forgotten that this weekend is the Head of the Charles. (Traffic will suck this weekend anywhere near the river, and I think Mem Drive is closed off both days.)
It's an interesting sporting competition. Teams row down the river, one by one, a certain number of seconds apart. This means that you don't see the teams all at once, but have to pay attention to things like time to compare and figure out the winner. But the Charles is twisty, so depending on where you sit, you may see only the beginnings, only the ends, or only some part of the middles. Also, there are so many divisions, based on age and number of rowers and prolly some other things too, to pay attention to.
So when I go, I ignore the race part of it, for the most part, just enjoying watching some of the best rowers in the world do their thing. It's beautiful. I particularly like seeing the path of the shells in the water, a straight line with circular ripples from the oars on either side.
With that large a gathering, the scene on the shore turns into a festival, with some booths advertising whatevers, having giveaways, other people cheering their team, etc. A lot of people walk the race route, a mile and a half up the river, from around Magazine Beach/the BU Bridge up around where the outdoor theater is. There are fewer people walking on the south side of the river, since that is the side where the rowers slowly row back to the starting area, rather than the race side.
The eruv is likely to be up this Shabbat, but it mostly won't make a difference, since Mem Drive and the riverbank are mostly out of the eruv. I have to remember to wear my keys if I go on Shabbat.
It's an interesting sporting competition. Teams row down the river, one by one, a certain number of seconds apart. This means that you don't see the teams all at once, but have to pay attention to things like time to compare and figure out the winner. But the Charles is twisty, so depending on where you sit, you may see only the beginnings, only the ends, or only some part of the middles. Also, there are so many divisions, based on age and number of rowers and prolly some other things too, to pay attention to.
So when I go, I ignore the race part of it, for the most part, just enjoying watching some of the best rowers in the world do their thing. It's beautiful. I particularly like seeing the path of the shells in the water, a straight line with circular ripples from the oars on either side.
With that large a gathering, the scene on the shore turns into a festival, with some booths advertising whatevers, having giveaways, other people cheering their team, etc. A lot of people walk the race route, a mile and a half up the river, from around Magazine Beach/the BU Bridge up around where the outdoor theater is. There are fewer people walking on the south side of the river, since that is the side where the rowers slowly row back to the starting area, rather than the race side.
The eruv is likely to be up this Shabbat, but it mostly won't make a difference, since Mem Drive and the riverbank are mostly out of the eruv. I have to remember to wear my keys if I go on Shabbat.