An intro by Ben - I remember clearly this first race that Wendy talks about. I was able to be there, and remember being on the beach as her boat came in. She walked up the beach with her eyes completely aglow and a huge smile on her face as she said "This is amazing. I was born for this!" That, to me, sums up the value of the Community Rowing program. To have an adult reach the state of joy and excitement that literally causes a bounce in their step is a powerful moment indeed. From then on, Wendy, as a volunteer, has been instrumental in bringing this experience to more adults in our community

About seven years ago I learned about Dharma Voyage when at a wooden boat show at the Life Saving Station. After talking with Ben, who was showing Voyager, I added my name to a list of potential participants. Springtime came and I received information about rowing but was immediately turned off due to the early morning rowing times. Several months later, Ben contacted me asking to photograph people rowing on the river. I was in a small motorboat with Ben and a couple of other people. I remember Polly was the steerer, with several kids and another adult rowing Voyager. I had never been on that part of the river, and was totally captivated by its beauty, and the fun that the rowers were having. That’s when I fell in love and decided I would be a rower, and immediately joined DV.

During the past six years, I have gone from being a total beginner to a racer, and now as a coxswain. I’ve learned so much about rowing and steering and know there’s so much more to learn. I remember the time, that first summer, that Ben made me steer a boat; he sat behind me in Voyager and gave me the lines for controlling the rudder. I was very nervous, and steered a not very straight course, but at the end of the hour I was convinced that I could actually steer a boat by myself. Now I’m very comfortable on the river and each year since, have steadily gained confidence in my ability to take out a boatload of rowers. One of the benefits of rowing with DV are the wonderful folks who make up the membership. I’ve made so many good friends over the years.

The first time I coxed in a race, was the Gloucester Harbor Race in 2016. I remember I was very on edge, having tossed and turned the night before. There’s a lot of waiting around at a race as the different heats go off, which didn’t help my nervous state. Right after the heat just before us hit the starting line, my crew wanted to go out and do a warm-up row. I stalled as much as I could worrying about getting to the starting line in time. When we finally pushed off the beach, I kept one eye on the starting line and the other on steering as tight a circle as possible. Finally, we heard the two-minute horn and rowed our way to the start. We were able to get a pretty good start and I began to relax a bit, but now worried about the first turn and not hitting the marker. There were several more turns to get around on this three-and-a-half-mile course, all of which we navigated successfully. After we passed the finish line, I remember heaving a great sigh of relief, but at the same time feeling very happy about completing the race.

Dharma Voyage Adult Community Rowing is a very important part of my life. I get a great deal of satisfaction steering a boat. When all the rowers are in sync making the boat move smoothly and speedily through the water, I feel as if I accomplished something very special. I love the competitiveness of racing; it’s thrilling to overtake another boat, knowing my crew trusts me and is giving it all they can to win.

Wendy Goldberg, Race Training Coordinator