Schedule:  The Bay Rower sessions take place between 9am and 1pm and can be scheduled during the week or on weekends. To reserve a space send us an email.

What to bring: We provide all of the rowing and safety equipment. Wear relatively close fitting and flexible clothing appropriate for the weather and warm socks or water shoes (no street shoes in the shells). Clothing should be synthetic (e.g. polypropylene) or athletic wool. Avoid wearing cotton clothing while on the water as it will keep you cold if you get wet. Sun protection is also advised.

What you will learn (not a complete list, but to give you an idea):

• The correct basic rowing stroke.
  This is useful when rowing on the water and when rowing on any kind of rowing machine at home or at a gym. The correct stroke will maximize your fitness and minimize any chance of injury.

• How to rig the boat to get ready to row!
  You will have two oars and it does matter which side each one goes on, and then they need to be fastened correctly to be secure and reliable. The board you loosely strap your feet to can be adjusted to fit your height.

• How to get in and out of the boat safely with maximum stability.
  There are tricks that work for all kinds of people of varying degrees of fitness and ability.

• How to handle the oars when you are on the water.
  The oars keep you stable when you aren’t rowing and provide propulsion when you are. We teach you how to make the boat do what you want it to do!

• Applying the basic rowing stroke on the water.
  When you put it all together, you row!

• Safety topics.
  This is a water sport in a beautiful but busy bayside location. You will have a personal flotation device (“PFD”) with you at all times and will will teach you how to use it. We will also teach you how to stay safe, avoid incidents, be mindful of other watercraft, know where you are, how to navigate safely to where you are going, and how to call for help should you ever need it.

• Weather, Tides and Currents.
  The San Francisco Bay is famous world wide for it’s strong winds and strong currents, but those winds and currents aren’t there all of the time. And Richardson Bay, where you will be rowing, is a much calmer part of the bay. But we will teach you the basics of reading and forecasting the wind as well as understanding what part of the tide cycle we are in, what currents to expect, and how to use those to your advantage.

• Boat handling on shore.
  We carry the boats down to the water and back up to the shellhouse. You will learn how to do this safely with assistance so anybody can help you, and you can help anybody else.

• Boat care.
  Our rental fleet is pristine because we thoroughly wash and dry all of the boats and oars after every session, and then store them back inside the boathouse, complete with cozy oarlock socks to protect other boats. You will learn how to care for the boats and keep them pristine for yourself and all of the other rowers.

You will learn much more from our amazing, US Rowing certified instructors, but we also encourage you to ask all the questions that come to mind.