Visiting crews
Riverside Boat Club is pleased to assist the racing series on the Charles by allowing out of town crews and even hometown crews to launch from RBC docks. To obtain permission to launch from the Riverside Boat Club docks for any race or practice, all crews must fill out and submit this agreement at least two weeks prior to date of use.
fill out the form below.
(Trouble accessing? Try this link.)
expectations
On any given race day a maximum of three colleges/clubs will be allowed to launch from RBC docks. This will be determined on a first-come, first-served basis.
We require a Visiting Crew Agreement (the form below) signed by the coach of each crew and a fee for each school each time Riverside is used as a launch site.
Payment: Please submit (or send) the below agreement with a $75.00 dock fee made out to Riverside Boat Club, 769 Memorial Drive, Cambridge MA 02139 (or pay online after completing the agreement).
In an effort to help keep all Charles River users safe, please make sure your coxswains are familiar with the Charles River bridge arches, River Traffic, and Rules. Pay particular attention to the Powerhouse Stretch/Western Ave and River Street Bridges section of River Rules between Labor Day and Thanksgiving.
A crew representative must meet with Riverside Boat Club’s Captain (or another RBC Captain-appointed representative) for a brief in-person orientation before any crew is allowed to launch.
General guidelines
Parking: All vehicles, including boat trailers, must park on pavement. The parking lot is extremely small, so not all trailers will fit. Local crews should row their boats up and NOT trailer. Any vehicles parked on the grass will be reported to the State Police and will be towed. Please use the parking areas next to the boathouse, MDC pool, or the ball fields. The Micro Center/Trader Joe’s parking lot is often towed. Residential areas only allow parking for non-residents on Sundays. Please review our traffic advisory below with regard to trailers!
Access: No visiting crew members are allowed inside of Riverside Boat Club. Please use the upstream swinging ramp to access the docks. This also means that there is no restroom access, as our restrooms are in our locker rooms, which are members only.
Launching: Crews must not tie up the docks when landing and launching. Please move your boats out of the water and off the docks as quickly as possible. Please Launch in the upstream direction.
Clean-up: The docks and parkland must be left in good condition when you leave. Take all trash with you or leave it in the trash cans provided.
Spectators or non-rowing & non-coaching visitors are NOT allowed on the RBC dock.
Please submit a Visiting Crew Agreement to which you and any crew you host must adhere, to row out of Riverside Boat Club for any races or practices. Once the agreement is submitted you must be given written permission to launch from the captain. If you are the host school for a race, it is your obligation to see that any crew participating in your race has contacted me and understands they must also supply the signed agreement and check. Failure to do so will result in restriction from dock use.
Thank you for your cooperation with these guidelines. Please contact the Captain if you have any questions.
Be advised: Boat trailers and all commercial vehicles are prohibited from traveling on all MDC roadways, including Memorial Drive. Riverside Boat Club is only accessible by Memorial Drive. The State Police will allow trailers to travel eastbound on Memorial Drive from the River Street Bridge (Mass Pike) to Riverside Boat Club and westbound to Western Ave. Bridge (return to Mass Pike) ONLY. Any other travel is prohibited. If you need to travel to any other part of Memorial Drive, you must contact the State Police at 617-727-6780.
