This weekend was a crowded one for Boston! It was the 50th annual Head of the Charles, and despite what the name might suggest, this event isn’t at all similar to Britain’s Guy Fawkes Day; no effigies or fake heads are harmed in the HOTC celebrations. It is actually the largest two day regatta in the world, where thousands of crew teams descend upon the Charles River and row down a three mile course. Rather than racing against each other, the teams compete in a “head race”, which is based on individuals times. Hence the “Head of the Charles” name!
These geese are lined up to compete in the regatta, too.
Spectators crowd together on every bridge that goes over the course, as well as along the riverbanks. The regatta is a highly anticipated event each year, which surprised me considering how difficult it is to follow! Not in terms of the rules, but physically you can only see one part of the race at any given time. So, if you’re looking for a specific team, you can’t really follow their progress very well. You have to be truly dedicated to get involved with this sport, I guess. And by “dedicated” I also mean willing to invest in such an expensive hobby.
Let me put it this way. In place of the traditional sporting event/fair-style food, the Head of the Charles dining options included lobster rolls, fresh oysters, and a Ruth’s Chris Steak House tent. And in case you accidentally dribbled a little bit of oyster juice on yourself, there were Sperry Top-Sider and Brooks Brothers pop-up stores conveniently located on the riverbank as well. It’s really no wonder why crew is stereotyped as being the sport of spoiled white kids from Ivy Leagues.
For a lowly plebeian like myself, the Head of the Charles was an interesting cultural introduction to the world of New England’s upper-class society! And although I can’t say I was particularly enthralled with watching the rowers themselves, what I did think was fascinating was watching the “coxswain” of each team. The coxswain is essentially the leader of the boat, and they do all of the steering, and all of the screaming. They wear a speaker device (called a “cox box”) that allows the rowers, and subsequently everyone watching the rowers, to hear the coxswain’s instructions. To my untrained ears, the cox box amplified the coxswain’s voice to the point where they just sounded like a demonic entity with good rhythm. Maybe the technology of the cox box isn’t quite where it needs to be yet.
Nonetheless, the Head of the Charles was an overall success! As far a free events go, it was a weekend well-spent, and I loved having the chance to do something that is so quintessentially “Boston”.
The starting line, and a rainbow over Downtown!
Emily Travels: America 
I am loving your blog. It’s fun to be able to sit on my back deck, yet travel around Boston with you. I’m thinking that the scene at the horse track in Pretty Woman might be changed out with your scene on a bridge over Boston…or in the Brooks Brothers tent.
And who doesn’t love the word coxswain? Oh fellow plebeian (another fantastic word!), I sometimes long to be a member of New England’s upper class. Thanks for at least giving me a decent mental image of the whole experience.
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I love the picture of the ducks competing in the regatta! Sounds like a fun day out in Boston! Looks like you’ll be getting some nice Fall color pictures too. Have fun!
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There were some great Fall colors…until a “Nor’easter” storm came ripping through Boston this week! The wind and rain have been crazy the last few days, so a lot of the pretty leaves (and even a few trees) were blown to oblivion.
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