South Jersey Rowing Club to Host Beach Sprint Competition

By MADDY VITALE Get ready for some thrills and excitement on the water when the South Jersey Coastal Rowing Club holds its Coastal Beach Sprint Exhibition in Somers Point on April 29 at 2 p.m. at Morrow Beach. “The reason beach sprints have really taken off is because of the excitement of the race. It’s three minutes,” South Jersey Coastal Rowing Club board member Tom Feaster said in an interview Wednesday. “You have to start from the beach and go around the buoys. You have collisions and different things – anything can happen. A boat can get hit by a wave and go off course. The races are so exciting to watch.” The sport of coastal rowing is the melding between ocean rowing such as in lifeguard races and flat-water rowing for crew, Feaster explained. The sport is performed in open water, such as the ocean or bay, and includes singles, doubles and quad boats in male, female and mixed boat categories. On April 22, as a warmup to the big exhibition, there will be an exhibition at 11 a.m., also on Morrow Beach between New Jersey and Higbee avenues, to introduce the coastal boats to the South Jersey rowing community, Feaster said. At least 7 boats will at the beach and experienced rowers can try out the single and double coastal boats, he said. The following week will be the main event – the same day as Bayfest, Somers Point’s big bayfront celebration. It is expected to draw a crowd to watch the coastal races. Feaster said before any rowing, there will a thorough explanation of the beach sprint.

He said that there will be three coastal races this summer, one in June, another in July and a third in August in which only South Jersey rowers will be participating. While the events are about having fun, they are also designed to educate the public about coastal rowing. “This is an exhibition to show people what we are all about,” said Feaster, a retired lieutenant with the Sea Isle City Beach Patrol who now resides in Tampa, Fla. While Feaster formerly lived in Sea Isle and two other leading South Jersey Rowing Club members, Tom McCann and Wayne Mac Murray, are also from Sea Isle, they have also been active in neighboring communities for events. In October, they joined with the Under the Bridge Rowing Club for an event in Ocean City. Feaster, McCann and Mac Murray are all former lifeguards with the Sea Isle City Beach Patrol. Feaster said they selected Somers Point for the rowing exhibition with the approval of the city. “Morrow Beach is an awesome beach. There aren’t a terrific amount of waves there, so it is great for the exhibition,” he said. “I’ll be doing a play by play at the event.” The hope is that they can recruit others to be a part of the coastal rowing club. The World Rowing Federation is pushing for the inclusion of a beach sprint coastal competition at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. World Rowing recently commented on how a beach sprint would “uniquely add value” to the games, Feaster said. Coastal World Rowing competitions feature singles, doubles and quads in male, female, and mixed boat categories as well as youth categories. South Jersey Coastal Rowing was established in 2021. Feaster said the hope is that they can lead the charge to make coastal rowing a new Olympic event. The club recently purchased a fleet of coastal boats that will be located at Ventnor’s Viking Rowing Club this summer. Three of the club’s current rowers were finalists at the U.S. States Coastal Trials in 2022, and they are “in it to win it” in 2023, Feaster said. Anyone interested in being a part of the rowing exhibition in Somers Point or to learn more about South Jersey Coastal Rowing, contact President Tom McCann at [email protected].