Pulling together: HCT barn provides winter storage for community rowing program
Cape Codders mark the turn toward deep autumn in a variety of ways, whether it’s finally turning on the heat or shutting down the outdoor shower.
Members of Cape Cod Community Rowing are delighted that Harwich Conservation Trust (HCT) has provided winter storage for their rowing shells in the HCT barn.
But for members of Cape Cod Community Rowing (CCCR), there’s one clear moment when the seasonal tide shifts: it’s the day when the rowing shells make the trip from Long Pond into winter storage.
Harwich Conservation Trust (HCT) has made this transition easier over the last three seasons by providing an ideal winter roost for the boats at HCT’s barn on Headwaters Drive.
On Nov. 1, a land-based flotilla hit the road. Perched on trailers pulled by a pickup truck, the long, light shells made the journey from Fernandez Bog Beach to HCT’s stalwart outbuilding at the scenic Hinckleys Pond — Herring River Headwaters Preserve, where a recent eco-restoration project has transformed retired cranberry bogs into thriving wetlands.
While it was a short 1.5-mile commute, the move demanded artful driving and careful coordination from a merry band of CCCR members. Some of the boats are more than 50 feet long, so pulling into the barn was like a mobile math equation, elegantly solved by the roving rowers, who are well-versed in the benefits of pulling together.
A perfect winter home
Michelle DeSilva, a member of CCCR’s board and an avid rower, was along for the ride. She said that before HCT provided the barn space, her organization had to scramble to find places to store the boats in the winter.
It was a tight squeeze, but these Cape Cod Community Rowing (CCCR) boats fit perfectly in the Harwich Conservation Trust (HCT) barn on Headwaters Drive. This is the third year that HCT has provided winter storage space for CCCR’s rowing shells.
“We are hugely grateful to Harwich Conservation Trust for making this facility available to us,” she said. “We can drive in our trailers and store all our gear. It’s a beautiful, dry and secure building. We would not be able to find this anywhere else.”
Rowing shells are somewhat fragile, as they are made to be lightweight and fast in the water. “You want them to be out of the elements in the winter,” said DeSilva. “Storing them in the barn prolongs the life of our boats amazingly.”
CCCR, a non-profit organization, has a mission of supporting “the creation of a healthy, vibrant, and sustainable rowing community for the people of Cape Cod.” The group provides rowing resources, support and programs for people of all ages and skills. To learn more, visit capeandislandsrowing.com.
“It’s such a great community club,” said DeSilva. “There’s everybody from brand new beginners to 85-year-olds that just raced the Head Of The Charles Regatta.”
She also described the joy of rowing: flying across the water on a calm day at Long Pond, always striving for the perfect technique. “You’re continually refining your stroke,” she said. “It’s a good obsession.”
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