Arlington-Belmont Crew Races in Head of the Charles

The Arlington-Belmont Crew Club had two entries in the 48th annual Head of the Charles Regatta that was held on the Charles River between Boston and Cambridge on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 20 and 21.

One of the most prestigious of all regattas, this year it drew more than 2,000 entries from nearly 700 clubs coming from 37 states in the U.S. and 22 countries.

The Arlington-Belmont girls Fours – four rowers, each with a single oar, along with a coxswain – finished in 37th out of a total of 85 entries. In a very tight race – the top four boats were separated by less than 10 seconds – Arlington-Belmont finished only a minute and a half behind the winner, with a time of 20:56.

Rowing were Laurie VanBenschoten, Annalise Routenberg, Katelyn Hamilton, and coxswain Anna Ferlanti from Arlington, and Belmont’s Kalyani Grad-Kaimal. By finishing in the top half of the field, they assured the club an entry in next year’s race.

The boys Eights (eight rowers with a coxswain in the boat) finished with a time of 16:60, only 1:38 off the winning pace, putting them 47th place out of a very competitive field of 85 boats.

The crew was Andrew Friedman, Roddy Pratt, Nathan Canada, Harry Rosner, Brian O’Neill, Omar Malik, Damien Murray, and coxswain Sarah Venuti of Arlington and Ryan Cleary from Belmont.

The last race of the fall season takes place next Sunday at the annual state championship, sponsored by the Massachusetts Public Schools Rowing Association.

– Submitted by David Wright

AB Crew is holding two events this week to raise money for new equipment:

Spaghetti Dinner: Thursday, Oct. 25 from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 929 Concord Turnpike, Arlington. $12 for adults, $8 for kids 7 and under.

Car Wash: Saturday, Oct. 27 from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Arlington High School, 869 Mass Ave., Arlington. Just $5, no tickets needed.