KINGSTON, N.Y. – The Hudson River Maritime Museum is pleased to announce the upcoming lecture “Why I Love Rowing,” held in-person on Wednesday, April 27, 2022 at 7:00 PM.
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There are many reasons to have an interest in rowing: its history, its evolution, the physics, the geography, the techniques, the benefits, the joy and the pain. There are a million stories to tell about it. This one is from rowing aficionada, Nelsie Aybar-Grau.

It all started when Nelsie moved to Kingston and she was introduced to rowing by a friend. After a few years she became certified on the Concept2 indoor rowing machine, then she picked up a Learn to Row Instructor's Certification from US Rowing. To track all the interesting things she found out about rowing she created a Facebook page and website: theRondoutRower.com. Then when asked to teach young participants in the HRMM Youthboat Project how to row a traditional wooden Whitehall boat, her interest in rowing went into high gear. Last summer she built a wooden tandem wherry AND participated in a row around Manhattan. Why is rowing so compelling, you ask?  Join us and see!

Nelsie Aybar-Grau is a longtime Hudson River Maritime Museum volunteer and rowing instructor. She is “The Rondout Rower,” and is currently working on a book on her rowing experiences.

“There is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.”- Kenneth Grahame
 
Tickets are $7 for the general public and free for Hudson River Maritime Museum members. To register, visit www.hrmm.org/lecture-series.

About the Follow the River Lecture Series
For more than a decade the Hudson River Maritime Museum's "Follow the River Lecture Series" has hosted historians, authors, and maritime experts for engaging illustrated talks on a variety of regional history and maritime subjects. In recent years, many of the lectures have also been recorded and are available on YouTube. For more information about upcoming lectures and to access recordings of past lectures, visit www.hrmm.org/lecture-series. The series is sponsored by Rondout Savings Bank.
The Hudson River Maritime Museum is dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of the maritime history of the Hudson River, its tributaries and related communities. In addition to extensive collections documenting maritime transportation, industry, recreation, and natural science, the museum offers classes and programs at its Wooden Boat School, Sailing and Rowing School, and aboard its floating classroom, Solaris. The museum is located along the historic Rondout waterfront in downtown Kingston. Visit www.hrmm.org for more information.

The Hudson River Maritime Museum and the Rondout Rowing Club will host a Head of the Rondout rowing race on Sunday, October 15, on the historic Rondout Creek in Kingston, New York.
 
“Head” races are time-trial rowing competitions. In Kingston, boats will launch one by one at the Museum, row up the Rondout toward the Eddyville Bridge, circle back, and race from the bridge to the Rondout Lighthouse. The three-mile course requires crews to navigate around some obstacles. Boats will begin launching at HRMM, at 50 Rondout Landing, at 8 a.m.

“This is a warm-up event for crews racing the Head of the Charles regatta in Boston the following weekend,” says HRMM Trustee Scott Johnson, who coaches the Kingston High School Varsity Crew team and organized this competition. Rondout Rowing Club has two teams competing on the Charles, “so this is ideal practice for us,” Johnson says.
The Head of the Rondout is designed for all ages and classes of boats, and it is open to all rowers, free of charge. Competitors will range from middle school students to adults. In addition to the Rondout Rowing Club youth crews, boats from the Rondout Rowing Club, the Hudson Valley Rowing Association, and other rowing teams and clubs will compete.

“Rondout Creek offers ideal conditions for a head race,” says Lisa Cline, executive director of HRMM. “The Hudson River Valley has a long history of rowing and we’re really excited to support this new race here in Kingston. The Head of the Rondout is another sign of the powerful resurgence of the sport of rowing in our area.”

Crews interested in competing should contact Scott Johnson at 845-901-2386. The deadline to register is October 7.

Members of the press are invited to attend. For more information, contact Tim Cross at 845-338-0071, ext 17.
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For more information about the Hudson River Maritime Museum, visit www.hrmm.org, like HRMM on Facebook, or call 845-338-0071.