North American Open Water Rowing Championship
This year we are running two courses: Championship and Bay. The winners of the open divisions on the Championship course will be awarded trophies as the winners of the 2008 NAOWRC. WInners of other divisions on the long course and any divisions on the Bay course will receive medals.
FINAL COURSES WILL BE DETERMINED THE DAY BEFORE THE EVENT! Details of these courses are likely to change but the spirit will be maintained of one 12 +/- mile challenging course and one 6 +/- mile more protected course.
The Championship course is approximately 15 miles long and will encompass primarily the rough water of the San Francisco Bay. At the discretion of the race committee, if the water is too rough, a different and more protected course will be set. What follows is the intended course assuming good water. From a start in Richardson Bay, the racers will head out to Yellow Bluff and under the Golden Gate Bridge and out to a turning mark at Pt. Diablo. The racers will turn and head back into the Bay, passing north of the the Little Harding mark and then around Angel Island, around Belvedere Point and Cone Rock, then back to a finish line off the city front of Sausalito. When going around Angel Island, racers must pass outside of all rocks. This lessens the effect of local knowledge on the race as there are some ways to cut inside the rocks at Pt Blunt on Angel Island that we don't want to see attempted. Any racer passing south of Little Harding or cutting inside the rocks will be warned and/or disqualified.
The GPS Coordinates for this course are:
Spinnaker Restaurant Turn: 37.51.536 122.28.655
Lime Point Mark Approx: 37.49.573 122.28.671
Diablo Cove Mark Approx: 37.49.276 122.29.923
Lime Point (to clear): 37.49.524 122.28.687
Government Mark G-1 37.50.632 122.27.199
Blunt – Angel Island: 37.51.102 122.25.121
Belvedere (Peninsula) Point: 37.51.717 122.27.468
Cone Rock: 37.51.834 122.28.180
Finish – Horizons – Just off the Deck 37.51.212 122.28.686
We've changed the Bay Course to avoid some of the rougher water. The Bay course will share the Championship Course start in Richardson Bay go past the Horizons Restaurant out to Yellow Bluff, down to the mark off Belvedere Point, to Cone Rock to a finish off the Horizons Restaurant. This course is more protected and is approximately 7 miles in length.
Pictures from the Course
Approaching the Golden Gate Bridge from the Sausalito side.
Going out by the North Tower of the bridge.
Returning towards the bridge from outside the Gate.
Tom makes it look easy on the return.
The classic bridge shot. It is pretty amazing rowing under the Golden Gate bridge.
Note the rough patch of water right in where she is rowing.
Heading back into the bay after the bridge.
San Francisco skyline in the background.
Registration Details
The cost of the race is $50. We will have a form to print out and mail in soon.
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