On October 20th, Belmont Hill faculty, family, and friends gathered on the dock of the Belmont Hill and Winsor Boathouse in Cambridge to watch the 55th Head of the Charles Regatta. Drawing competitors from all around the globe, the rowing event is the largest two-day regatta in the world. Hundreds of thousands of spectators lined the Charles River course throughout the weekend to catch a glimpse at the boats racing by, with events ranging from Youth Eights to Master’s Singles. More than 11,000 rowers participated in the event and were fortunate enough to row in clear, sunny weather throughout the regatta.
Entering the Men’s Youth Fours and a Men’s Youth Eights events, Belmont Hill raced two boats on Sunday. The four, which included Liam Peterson ‘20, Luca Foschi-Walko ‘20, Charlie Mullaney ‘20, and Jack Curtin ‘20, was coaxed by Sreetej Digumarthi ‘21 and placed 18th out of 85 with a time of 17:10, an excellent finish for the crew. The eight, which included Nicholas Hebard ‘21, Christiaan Eikeboom ‘21, Harvey Rupp ‘21, Charlie Stevenson ‘20, Jack Weldon ‘20, Charlie Donahue ‘20, Howard Huang ‘22, and Aidan McGaugh ‘20, was coaxed by Michael John ‘21 and laid down a speedy 15:59. The crew initially placed 40th out of 86th, but a one-minute penalty was later tacked on to their time.
Alumni were also present in the regatta; representing the US National Team in the Men’s Championship Eights event, Alexander Richards ‘14, Andrew Reed ‘10, and Michael Disanto ‘08 placed 2nd with a blistering time of 13:32. Dara Alizadeh ‘11, rowing for Bermuda, raced in the Men’s Championship Singles event, placing 15th with a time of 18:58.
Overall, the program enjoyed a successful day on the water. The four performed extremely well in their race, while the eight, penalty aside, exhibited the strongest performance for a Belmont eight in the regatta in recent memory. Coach Christopher Richards was exuberant about the regatta, labeling it an “A+ day for Belmont Hill Crew.” Supported by those who came out to watch the event, the rowers were satisfied with their performance and look ahead to the spring in hopes of another successful season.
