Ladies of the Lake: Oldest women's rowing club in the United States.
A sparkling morning on Lake Merritt in the heart of Oakland, puffy clouds and only a breath of wind, with the tall concrete and glass buildings on the west shore reflected in the water. Out in the lake are a couple of good-size boats, rowed by women of a certain age, dressed all in white, with blue scarves and sailor hats, like a vision out of a more gentle time.
These are the Ladies of the Lake, members of the Oakland Women's Rowing Club, founded on the shores of Lake Merritt on a February morning 97 years ago. They row every Wednesday morning for exercise, for companionship, for fun and for tradition.
"Most of us just like being on the water," said club President Valerie Montes. Montes, who is 74 and retired, learned to row when she was 5 years old and lived on the river Cam in Cambridge in her native England. She's been rowing on Lake Merritt since 2010.
A sparkling morning on Lake Merritt in the heart of Oakland, puffy clouds and only a breath of wind, with the tall concrete and glass buildings on the west shore reflected in the water. Out in the lake are a couple of good-size boats, rowed by women of a certain age, dressed all in white, with blue scarves and sailor hats, like a vision out of a more gentle time.
These are the Ladies of the Lake, members of the Oakland Women's Rowing Club, founded on the shores of Lake Merritt on a February morning 97 years ago. They row every Wednesday morning for exercise, for companionship, for fun and for tradition.
"Most of us just like being on the water," said club President Valerie Montes. Montes, who is 74 and retired, learned to row when she was 5 years old and lived on the river Cam in Cambridge in her native England. She's been rowing on Lake Merritt since 2010.
Club's benefactor, guardian
The Oakland Women's Rowing Club, or OWRC, is not just any club; it is the oldest women's rowing club in the country. And Lake Merritt is not just any lake. In fact, it is a tidal lagoon, fresh water and salt water mixed, and it is linked to the bay by a channel. It is also ringed by trees and by the city of Oakland. It is the city's crown jewel.
"From every place on this lake you see Oakland, the hills, the buildings, all around. And it is beautiful," said Nancy Gillis, 75, who rows and helps maintain the club's boats.
The Women's Rowing Club has four operating boats - two big, heavy wooden vessels, each 26 feet long and weighing a ton, and two fiberglass boats, 33 feet long and weighing 1,000 pounds each.
Their most recent boat, an ex-Coast Guard surf boat the women renamed Lady of the Lake, cost $44,000, including all equipment. "We had a fund drive," said Gillis. "Sold cookies, things like that." The club buys the boats and donates them to the city of Oakland.
The club also has a patron, Cornell Maier, a retired Kaiser Aluminum executive, who helped pay for one of the boats. Maier sometimes joins the women on social occasions, and once in a while takes them all to dinner. "He's our benefactor," said Gillis. "He's our guardian."
The Ladies of the Lake love tradition. They row with big, heavy wooden oars, eight to a boat. The boats are all painted the traditional white, an American flag snapping at the stern. The women are always in uniform - white jackets in summer and fall and orange jackets in winter and spring.
The club is not too modern. They don't have a website and they don't advertise.
People find out about the OWRC the old-fashioned way, by word of mouth. There are only four boats, so there is a limit on membership and a two-year waiting list.
They are not young women, at least in years. "All of us are retired," said Montes. "But we are not tired of being retired," Gillis said.
Most of the members are in their late 60s or early 70s; half a dozen of the active rowers are in their 80s. The oldest oarswoman is 86. The longest-serving member is Hildegard Schafer, who has been a member for 48 years and has served as president three times. It's in her heritage. She first came to Lake Merritt to row with her mother, many years ago.
They have an enthusiasm for the boats, for rowing, for life - and for Oakland.
Oakland has its problems, of course, but it's not always the gritty city you hear about over in San Francisco. It's worth a second look.
The Oakland Women's Rowing Club, or OWRC, is not just any club; it is the oldest women's rowing club in the country. And Lake Merritt is not just any lake. In fact, it is a tidal lagoon, fresh water and salt water mixed, and it is linked to the bay by a channel. It is also ringed by trees and by the city of Oakland. It is the city's crown jewel.
"From every place on this lake you see Oakland, the hills, the buildings, all around. And it is beautiful," said Nancy Gillis, 75, who rows and helps maintain the club's boats.
The Women's Rowing Club has four operating boats - two big, heavy wooden vessels, each 26 feet long and weighing a ton, and two fiberglass boats, 33 feet long and weighing 1,000 pounds each.
Their most recent boat, an ex-Coast Guard surf boat the women renamed Lady of the Lake, cost $44,000, including all equipment. "We had a fund drive," said Gillis. "Sold cookies, things like that." The club buys the boats and donates them to the city of Oakland.
The club also has a patron, Cornell Maier, a retired Kaiser Aluminum executive, who helped pay for one of the boats. Maier sometimes joins the women on social occasions, and once in a while takes them all to dinner. "He's our benefactor," said Gillis. "He's our guardian."
The Ladies of the Lake love tradition. They row with big, heavy wooden oars, eight to a boat. The boats are all painted the traditional white, an American flag snapping at the stern. The women are always in uniform - white jackets in summer and fall and orange jackets in winter and spring.
The club is not too modern. They don't have a website and they don't advertise.
People find out about the OWRC the old-fashioned way, by word of mouth. There are only four boats, so there is a limit on membership and a two-year waiting list.
They are not young women, at least in years. "All of us are retired," said Montes. "But we are not tired of being retired," Gillis said.
Most of the members are in their late 60s or early 70s; half a dozen of the active rowers are in their 80s. The oldest oarswoman is 86. The longest-serving member is Hildegard Schafer, who has been a member for 48 years and has served as president three times. It's in her heritage. She first came to Lake Merritt to row with her mother, many years ago.
They have an enthusiasm for the boats, for rowing, for life - and for Oakland.
Oakland has its problems, of course, but it's not always the gritty city you hear about over in San Francisco. It's worth a second look.
'It's a wonderful city'
Montes, the OWRC president, wears a gold pin on her sailor cap: "Proud to be an Oaklander," it says.
"I think Oakland is coming into its own," Gillis said. "Everybody wants to live here now."
She moved to Oakland from Marin County in the '70s, a time of turmoil and street demonstrations on the east side of the bay. "At first, I thought, 'what have I done?' But I have changed my mind. I love it. It's a wonderful city."
The Ladies of the Lake will make a special appearance next Sunday at the Love Our Lake Day festival, a celebration of the lake and the opening of Lake Merritt Boulevard at the lake's southern end.
Carl Nolte is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. His column appears every Sunday. E-mail: cnolte@sfchronicle.com
You Might Also Like
Montes, the OWRC president, wears a gold pin on her sailor cap: "Proud to be an Oaklander," it says.
"I think Oakland is coming into its own," Gillis said. "Everybody wants to live here now."
She moved to Oakland from Marin County in the '70s, a time of turmoil and street demonstrations on the east side of the bay. "At first, I thought, 'what have I done?' But I have changed my mind. I love it. It's a wonderful city."
The Ladies of the Lake will make a special appearance next Sunday at the Love Our Lake Day festival, a celebration of the lake and the opening of Lake Merritt Boulevard at the lake's southern end.
Carl Nolte is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. His column appears every Sunday. E-mail: cnolte@sfchronicle.com
Printable Version
Email This
No comments:
Post a Comment