Any and all experienced rowers of any age are welcome to row in the Headless Head regatta.

Boats will be launched starting at 10 a.m. and racing will start at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 30 at Cascade Lake.

There will be two or three “flights.” Racing will go until about 12:30 p.m. There are no entry fees or requirements other than to be able and willing to row. The event is an opportunity for the community to see the club in action. All are welcome. There will be a potluck party afterwards, so bring some food to share.

The kind of rowing that the Orcas Island Rowing Association offers and that will take place at the regatta is often called “crew rowing.” It uses very long, very narrow boats. The single seat boats are as wide as a man’s hips and about 30 feet long. The boats are only kept upright by the rowers technique with their oars. The oars are extremely long and they pivot in oarlocks held away from the hull by outriggers. The boats have sliding seats so the strong muscles in the legs can be used as wells as the back and arms. There are boats with one, two, four or eight rowers. It is one of the oldest competitive sports.

Much of the terminology is of French derivation, although the word for a race is “regatta,” which is of ancient Italian derivation meaning fight or contest. Typically the regattas in the spring season are shorter sprint races over marked straight lanes, while fall races are typically longer three km or more over river courses or lakes where only the turns are marked. Those longer races are often called “head races” after some of the first established races which raced at the “head” of a river.

OIRA has a boathouse at the south end of Cascade Lake in Moran State Park. It offers rowing opportunities to juniors and adults. For info: www.orcasislandrowing.org, info@orcasislandrowing.org or 376-6935.