HANOVER, N.H. – It's not every day that a new addition is added to a traditional collegiate boathouse, but Saturday was one of those days, and two Yale teams were there at Dartmouth to help celebrate the occasion. 

On a near-flawless fall day on the Connecticut River, a special regatta was sponsored by the Big Green at the dedication of the new wing of the Friends of Dartmouth Rowing Boathouse. 

The Dartmouth Boat Club graciously invited the Yale lightweights, Yale women and BU heavyweights out for a friendly double-header head race. The upstream 5k course began from Ledyard Bridge, slightly downstream from the boathouse, and ended a few hundred meters into the 2k course used during spring racing. In a special twist, all crews raced back downstream as well. It all made for a tremendous morning of racing.

And in a nod to rowing tradition of old, a spectator train was provided along the Vermont shore, and the many rowing fans on the train were elated to be a part of the journey as they followed the crews. A periodic blast on the horn from the conductor enlivened the racing and thrilled the crews, who often responded with yells of their own.

The Elis had four eights entered in the special two-race event. In the first piece upstream, the Yale A boat finished with a time of 15:34.2, with the B boat following 13.8 seconds behind, the C boat 17.4 seconds behind the B boat, and the D boat following 19.0 seconds behind the C boat. 
    
Both the Yale lightweights and Dartmouth lightweights took advantage of the unique two-part nature of the race, switching oarsmen and coxswains between boats before heading downstream. For the second 5k stretch, the Yale A boat finished with a time of 16:28.8 seconds, with the B boat following 2.9 seconds behind, the C boat following 28.2 seconds behind the C boat, and the D boat following 24.5 seconds behind the C boat. 

The Yale lightweights were honored to participate in the dedication event at Dartmouth. The construction of the new wing of the Dartmouth boathouse is a positive contribution to the sport of rowing, and the Elis were happy to take part in the friendly competition. Further, the gracious invitation from Dartmouth allowed for one of the earliest starts to fall racing in Y150 history.  

The lightweights will now begin to prepare for their second head race of the season: The Head of the Housatonic. The race will be held at home on October 12th.  

Full results are listed below: 
Upstream 5k: 
15:34.2 – Yale A
15:48.0 – Yale B
15:50.4 – Dartmouth A
16:05.4 – Yale C
16:13.6 – Dartmouth B
16:24.4 – Yale D
16:48.8 – Dartmouth C

Downstream 5k: 
16:28.8 – Yale A
16:31.7 – Yale B
16:55.6 – Dartmouth B
16:59.9 – Yale C
17:24.4 – Yale D
17:57.2 – Dartmouth A
18:44.9 – Dartmouth C