Vesper Boat Club

10/11/2026

An invigorating Philadelphia morning for the Navy Day Regatta !

10/08/2026

https://www.vesperboatclub.org/news/vesper-celebrates-the-1976-olympics-8HI2c-gf563

Vesper Boat Club is celebrating the 50th reunion of the 1976 Olympians Did you know?  Vesper Boat Club is celebrating its 50th reunion anniversary! Ann and Marie Jonik were Team USA Olympians in 1976.  Every gift to the Vesper Boat Club tells a story of gratitude, belief, a

10/04/2026

Vesper Women take Gold in Women’s Masters 4x at the Head of The Christina Regatta !

10/02/2026

https://www.vesperboatclub.org/news/vesper-celebrates-the-1976-olympics-8HI2c

Vesper Boat Club is celebrating the 50th reunion of the 1976 Olympians Did you know?  In the 1976 Olympics, the United States Men’s Coxless-Pair—featuring stroke Calvin Coffey and bow Mike Staines—won a medal. It would be twenty-four years before another American pair accomplished this

09/27/2026

Vesper Boat Club is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the 1976 Olympians.

Did you know?

The Coxed Pair
John Mathews
Darrell Vreugdenhil
Ken Dreyfuss (coxswain)

Every gift to the Vesper Boat Club tells a story of gratitude, belief, and shared purpose. As we reflect on our rich history on Boathouse Row and celebrate our vibrant rowing community—alongside this year's landmark 50th reunion honoring our 1976 women's Olympians and all Olympians past and future—your support helps keep our tradition of excellence moving forward.

By donating, you help ensure that current and future generations of rowers have the coaching, equipment, facilities, and community needed to thrive on the Schuylkill River and beyond.

You can make a donation to Vesper Boat Club here:
https://www.vesperboatclub.org/services

09/23/2026

Fall in Philadelphia

The Oct. 24-25 event follows a roughly 2.5-mile course beneath four bridges.

🔗 Here’s where to watch and what spectators should know before heading to Kelly Drive: https://www.phillyvoice.com/head-schuylkill-regatta-2026-spectator-guide-where-watch-parking/

09/21/2026

Vesper Boat Club is celebrating the 50th reunion of the 1976 Olympians.

Did you know?

The 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada, was a watershed moment for the sport of rowing. It marked the historic debut of women's rowing at the Olympic level. It also saw the introduction of the quadruple sculls event for both men and women

Pam Behrens rowed for Vesper Boat Club. With Vesper, Behrens won US titles in the quad sculls in 1973 and the eight in 1974. Behrens competed internationally at the 1973 European Championships, and the 1974-75 World Championships, in addition to her Olympic appearance. She also coached the US women’s team at the 1977 World Championships.

09/15/2026

Congratulations to all who competed in Slovenia! Special Vesper shout out to our own Helen McFie-Simone !!

09/15/2026

Nobody handed Anita DeFrantz a place in that boat.

She walked into a sport that had spent generations deciding who was allowed to row, and she didn't just make the team. She became the first Black athlete to ever compete for the United States in Olympic rowing, then came home with bronze.

Four years later, a boycott took away her shot at gold before she ever raced for it. She turned around and spent the rest of her life making sure the next athlete's chance couldn't be taken as easily.

That's what competitive psychology actually looks like when the fight doesn't end at the finish line.

09/13/2026

Vesper Boat Club - Saturday morning practice.

Still, straight race courses have their advantages, but there’s a special excitement racing downriver and through the bridges on the Schuylkill.