2023 Angel Island Fall Classic
October 29, 2023
Event FEE
$45 / Participant. Includes a buffet lunch and guest speaker(s) after the row.
Open to open-water rowing shells, coastal boats and stand-up paddleboards.
BOAT RENTALS
Open-water shells (Maas) and coastal boats (Lite Boat, Nelo) are available to rent. Contact the office to arrange a rental for the event. 1.415.332.1091.
ROWING AROUND ANGEL ISLAND
Many OWRC members have built knowledge from decades of experience rowing around Angel Island, much of which has been shared on our Angel Island route information page. Please give it a read to learn about the row. And be sure to read the page dedicated to the rounding of Point Blunt.
Currents
On the day of the row - October 29 - we will start at the beginning of a building flood, so we expect to send the fleet around the island counter-clockwise. Participants will get a boost from the flood down the southern side, the current will be relatively slack on the eastern side as it switches from ebb to flood, but then there will be as much as 2-knots of adverse current coming back up Raccoon Straight. We will share effective strategies for dealing with the adverse current during the participants meeting on the day of the row.
schedule
The row around Angel Island takes place on Sunday, October 29. The following is the detailed timeline for the event. Please be punctual, even early, to the starting area. Thank you!
| 7:00AM | OWRC Open for Arrivals |
| 7:30AM | Rowers Safety & Course Briefing |
| 7:45AM | Launch Boats at OWRC Dock |
| 8:20AM | All Rowers in the Starting Area |
| 8:30AM | The Start, at the Sausalito Yacht Club |
| 11:00AM - 2:00PM | Luncheon at the Sausalito Yacht Club |
safety
This is an exposed, open-water row on San Francisco Bay. Safety boats will be provided, but we will be asking all participants to adhere to the following safety standards:
Please only participate if you are comfortable rowing in rough water and strong currents for as long as two hours.
You have recently demonstrated that you can get back into a capsized rowing shell.
You will carry a US Coast Guard certified Type III PFD in the boat with you at all times. We prefer that you wear the PFD on your body at all times.
You have a signaling device with you (e.g. a whistle, mirror, flares).
You have at least one communication device with you on the row. Acceptable devices include a VHF radio (ideally with DSC), a cellular phone or a cellular-enabled smart watch.
Instructions to Participants
The starting line will be a line between a red, orange or yellow inflated buoy and the Ferry Landing Flag. The starting line and the finish line are the same, but will be crossed in opposite directions to start & finish.
Bow numbers will be posted the day before the event. All boats must display their bow numbers so they can be seen and read clearly from both sides of the boat.
Rowers can expect the the course to take 90 - 120 minutes to complete. There will be three safety boats at the event. One boat will be roving back and forth through the forward part of the fleet, one boat will be positioned mid-fleet, and one boat will stay at the back of the fleet.
After the finish, the rowers are to transit in front of the Sausalito Yacht Club dock, and then back to the OWRC dock to clean and prepare their boats for storage or transit.
The participants are invited to the Sausalito Yacht Club for a luncheon between 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM. The event participation fee of $45.00 per person includes the luncheon. Guests may accompany the rowers at the luncheon for an additional fee of $25.00 per guest.
Parking for the rowers is located in the public parking areas adjacent to the SYC. There are parking fees.
Our guest Speaker is Sharon Weinbar, the USRowing Western Region Representative.
HELP US SPREAD THE WORD
Download the event poster, print and post it in your boathouse, or share it online to let more people know about this exciting row. Thank you for your help getting the word out! (Poster file size is optimized for an 11 x 17” print at 300 dpi.)