Men’s crew opened its season last Sunday at the Head of the Charles regatta in Cambridge, Mass. Both boats representing Williams, the 1v and the 2v, showcased grit in the Collegiate 8+ race, finishing in fourth and 21st place, respectively, out of the 42-boat field. The Ephs returned to Williamstown after earning a medal from the 1v finish and a requalifying entry for next year’s regatta from the 2v finish.
Head of the Charles is the largest three-day regatta in the world, hosting crews from over 25 countries. Co-captain Elias Sienkiewicz ’24, the 1 seat in the 1v, compared the regatta to “a large festival.” This year, the regatta boasted 11,000 rowers and 200,000 spectators.
“This was my fourth year at the Charles, and I am always blown away by the amount of spectators that the regatta attracts each year,” Will Densmore ’26, the 5 seat in the Ephs’ 1v boat, said. “It is such a unique experience to race at a place that brings the entire rowing community together each year.”
Jack Wagner ’27, the 2 seat for the 1v, agreed. “You also get to see lots of friends from different programs and catch up,” he said.
The notoriously difficult three-mile course — known for its snaking turns and narrow waters — was made more difficult by Sunday’s gusty winds and choppy water. “The course was extremely windy this year, which slowed down times by about a minute on average and made for a brutal race, especially during the first half,” Densmore said. “The Charles is an extremely difficult course to steer at full speed because it is a very winding river crossed by several narrow bridges.”
Despite these challenges, both the 1v and 2v picked up ground over the back half of the race. Densmore and Sienkiewicz noted the skill of their coxswains, co-captain Isabelle Shah ’24 in the 1v and Carina Sun ’26 in the 2v, who maneuvered the boats across the congested water and gaining time on the other teams in the process.
The team’s preparation during the first few months of practice paid dividends in Boston. “Our fall training has a strong technical focus, especially in terms of getting [first-years] like myself up to speed with the way Williams crews row,” Wagner said. “We also spent a lot of time racing ourselves in mixed-gender boats, which gave us a great opportunity to push each other to be faster.”
While Head of the Charles is an important part of the fall, the focus for the Ephs remains on their spring schedule, Wagner said. “Ultimately, the fall season is more about preparing for the spring, and the Head of the Charles is more of a benchmark for us than the end goal,” he said.
“We like to think of fall racing as a stepping stone for our spring championship season,” Sienkiewicz added.
The 1v’s fourth place finish — a feat that earned them a medal — also reinforced the boat’s promising prospects at next week’s Head of the Fish regatta, which will close the fall competition season. “I think the 1v can walk away happy with a fourth place medal knowing that we have a lot of potential to work with as we look forward to next week’s regatta and the spring,” Densmore said.
