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Did you know you can row for free on the Harlem River?
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Lindsay Lee Wallace
Published Jul 23, 2026
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By
Lindsay Lee Wallace
Published Jul 23, 2026
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Every week this summer, as they have for the last 20 years (except in cases of lightning, a pandemic, or Canadian wildfire smoke), anywhere from four to 24 people will climb into carbon-fiber boats called shells and row down the Harlem River.
These intrepid athletes, who range from former-D1 champions to total beginners, are part of Harlem River Community Rowing, or HRCR. And this Saturday, on City of Water Day, you can stop by the Peter Jay Sharp Dock in Inwood between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. to see if you might like to join them.
City of Water Day is a slate of free events happening on or near waterways across the five boroughs, plus Rockland and Westchester counties and nearby parts of New Jersey. The annual celebration from Waterfront Alliance and the New York/New Jersey Harbor and Estuary Program emphasizes the importance of an equitably shared and climate-resilient waterfront.
“It’s a great way for people to get out of their own space, get out of their heads. We are on an island here in Manhattan,” Waterfront Alliance Communications Director Aria Cochran said.
This year, Harlem River Community Rowing will collaborate with Row New York, an organization primarily offering programming for young people, veterans and those with disabilities to stage exhibition races and give attendees the chance to get into a rowing shell on the water themselves.
The rowing shell, which is named for its thin hull, is a specialized boat built for speed. A typical shell is less than 2 feet across but can be anywhere from 25 to 65 feet long depending on how many people it’s designed to hold. It can also weigh up to 250 pounds (which matters, because rowers get it in and out of the water by hoisting it overhead). A brand-new eight-person boat can cost more than $60,000, while a used one, like those making up HRCR’s fleet, is a steal at around $20,000.
Pieter Lindenbergh, who joined HRCR in 2018 and is now program coordinator, said he expects City of Water Day will be “an opportunity to share our sport with the city, and a fun event for our community members, to have a little race and experience on our river.”
“People ask where you row, and you say, ‘On the Harlem River!’ and they’re like, ‘What?!’” said Lucy Bartel, who has rowed with the club for four years and serves as HRCR’s secretary.
“So much has been invested in Hudson River Park and Brooklyn Bridge Park, and I love those places,” said HRCR rower Calvin Harrison, who joined in 2021. “But when I bike to practice along the Harlem River, the path is completely potholed and really in need of repair and investment, and I think it’s important to remind people.”
“People value what they know, and protect what they love,” said Jessie Mathisen, who’s rowed with HRCR and fulfilled many roles since 2008. “When New Yorkers get to do recreation on and next to the water, we start to feel an ownership of this important part of our city.”
If you venture to the boathouse, whether to continue a lifelong passion for rowing or to try it for the first time, the no-cost intro you’ll receive to HRCR is in character.
"Rowing is a really expensive sport, because the equipment is extremely specialized,” said HRCR rower Maggie Dickinson, who joined in 2021. “I cannot impart upon you how crazy it is that every single piece of our programming is completely free.”
That price tag, plus accessibility via public transit (HRCR operates out of Muscota Marsh, a 10-minute walk from the A at Inwood-207th Street and the 1 at 215th Street) are what drew me to the organization after four years of collegiate crew, during which I was shocked to find myself co-captain of my team. After graduation, I was sure that I’d never get to row again. Many of HRCR’s members joined under similar circumstances.
“We’re trying to make rowing accessible for all, in a sport that is synonymous with affluence and tradition,” HRCR rower Andrea Michelcic said.
In addition to providing a chance for lapsed rowers like me to gain new blisters, HRCR is dedicated to creating new rowers — it’s the only place in the city where adults can learn to row.
Libby Lussenhop always knew she wanted to row. She learned with HRCR in 2022, and ever since it’s been “full on, absolute love.”
She’s now a member of the board.
While using a rowing machine during recovery from knee surgery, Doug Morro decided to try the real thing and found HRCR.
“We’re all adults going into something new, and they recognize that might feel daunting. We were of all ages, shapes, sizes and there was an air of reassurance.” Morro said.
Smita Ekka discovered HRCR from above.
“I was on the 1 train going over the 225th Street Bridge, and I see these people rowing below, and I’m wondering, ‘How does one get to do that?’” After joining a Learn to Row course, Ekka said, she’s “absolutely hooked.”
“When you’re rowing on the water you’re simultaneously in the city and in nature, and you’re exercising, and you’re also just really focused,” Lussenhop said. “But there’s this overall magical sheen of, ‘I can’t believe I’m doing this where I’m doing it.’”
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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