Regattas & Directions to ACBA, Regatta Sites

GENERAL REGATTA INFORMATION

Regattas are scheduled on Saturdays and occasionally Sundays.  They usually begin at 8 a.m.
and can continue into mid-afternoon. Coaches will inform rowers of the time that they are
expected to arrive at the race site on the day before the regatta.  Each boat launches
approximately 40 minutes before race time. Please check the calendar for details of a particular regatta.

The Race

Crews are expected to be in the marshalling area ten minutes before the race and at their
starting stations two minutes before the scheduled start time.  If a crew is late to the starting
line, it is considered a false start.  Once the boats are locked on the starting platforms, a judge
supervises the alignment process, and when all the crews are even, the judge raises a white
flag.  The starter then raises a white flag and polls each crew, after which the starter raises a red flag.  Crews may break the plane of the starting line when the starter gives the starting
commands and begins to drop the flag.  Once the race begins, the referee follows in a launch.

The high school racing distance is 1,500 meter.  Up to six shells race against each other in their
separate designated lanes.  Each race lasts from 4 to 8-1/2 minutes depending on the boat
class, weather conditions, water current and the physical condition and experience of the
rowers.

Food at the Regatta

The BI Crew Hospitality Chair works together with all the Crew families to provide food for the
rowers and their families.  Each BI Crew family is required to provide food for at least one
regatta.  The BI Crew Hospitality Chair will provide a calendar of assignments.  A light
breakfast will be available for the team prior to the races and then a full pot-luck lunch will be
provided.

DIRECTIONS TO ACBA AND OTHER REGATTA SITES:

Anacostia Community Boathouse
Cross the Potomac using the Wilson Bridge. Exit onto Rte. 295, and follow the signs toward
Washington. Take the second Navy Yard exit (the first is Anacostia Naval Station). At M Street turn right continue to the end. 1900 M Street, SE Washington, DC

Alternatively, using I-395 N, head east on Southeast/Southwest Freeway. Exit at 6th Street, SE. Continue straight and turn right on 7th Street SE. At the traffic light, turn left on M Street, SE. Continue all the way to the end of M Street 1900 M Street, SE Washington, DC

Sandy Run Regional Park on the Occoquan Reservoir
Take I-95 South to Exit 163 (Lorton). Turn right onto Lorton Road (Rte. 642). Lorton Road becomes
Furnace Road (Rte. 611). OR Take U.S. Route 1 South and turn right onto Lorton Road
(Rte. 642), which becomes Furnace Road.
Then, continue on Furnace Road to the stop sign at Ox Road (Rte. 123). Turn right and go 1.2 miles,
making a left onto Hampton Road (Fountainhead Regional Park sign). Follow Hampton
Road 0.8 miles, then make a slight left onto Van Thompson Road. Follow the paved road to the gate of
Sandy Run Regional Park. You will be directed to parking once you reach the park.
Alternatively, take the Fairfax County Parkway to Lee Chapel Road (Rte. 643) South. After 1.0 miles,
turn left onto Ox Road (Rte. 123). After 1.8 miles, turn right onto Hampton Road. From here follow
directions above.

Georgetown Regatta Site—Thompson Boat Center
Thompson Boat Center is located in Washington DC just off the Rock Creek Parkway. You may
cross the Potomac using either the Memorial Bridge or the Key Bridge. Using Memorial
Bridge, stay in the left lane as you cross the bridge, and bear left in front of the Lincoln
Memorial. Take the first legal left turn onto 23rd Street. Several blocks north, make a left onto
Virginia Avenue, NW. Follow Virginia Ave until it dead ends into Rock Creek Parkway. Stay in
the left hand lane, cross the parkway, and you may drop your rower off in the parking lot. You
may not park there. For parking, go left onto Rock Creek as you leave the parking lot, get into
the right hand lane, take the “K” Street exit, and parking is available along K Street, or in a lot at
the base of Wisconsin Avenue. If you prefer to use Key Bridge, make a right onto “M” Street,
a right onto Wisconsin Avenue, to the commercial lot under the Whitehurst Freeway.

Parking
Parking at the Anacostia Boathouse is located on the street, under the bridge and in adjacent unpaved
lot. There is little parking at the Georgetown site, but there is a commercial lot available. Parking at
Sandy Run/Occoquan is $10 per car (rowers included). At Sandy Run, a shuttle van runs between the
upper parking lot and the finish line for a $2 fee each way. You can also make the 15–20 minute hike.