The fall rowing season kicked off in glorious fashion on Sunday, Oct. 2.

For spectators and rowers used to braving the cold and the rain during the fall, a sunny day out on Lake Union at the 28th annual Tail of the Lake was an excellent way to start it off.

The setting couldn’t be better.

The race starts near the Aurora Bridge and works its way counterclockwise around Lake Union before finishing in front of Gas Works Park. For spectators watching from the park, at any one time they can see dozens of boats making their way around the lake with the Seattle skyline as a backdrop.

The racing all happens while other boats of all shapes and sizes make their way around the busy lake and the occasional seaplane touches down or takes off. With so much going on, the regatta can be equal parts exciting and terrifying.

For more than half of the 21 members of the Burton Beach Rowing Club (BBRC), this was their first time on Lake Union and for eight of them, their first-ever regatta. While they may have taken a moment to enjoy the scenery, they kept their focus on rowing and they didn’t disappoint.

In eleven races, the team won gold in three: the Women’s Novice Coxed Quad, the Men’s Novice Coxed Four, and the Women’s U17 Quad. BBRC also brought home silver in the Men’s Novice Coxed Quad and the Men’s U17 Quad.

For eight rowers who are new to the club — Paige Gibbons, Sloane Overdorf, Brisa Ordonez-Ramirez, Kiero Ambler, Max Jackson, Dash Henson, Emmet Cox, and Briar Guenther — not only was this their very first regatta, they brought home their first medals.

Other BBRC rowers who brought home medals were Taylor Huffman, Sasha Thompson, Keziah Rutschow, Ella Odegard, Caroline Barnes, Zack Merrigan, Forest MacNab, Grant Gonter, and Nate Wass de Czege.

“It was exciting to see our newest rowers doing so well out there as well as our veterans,” said coach Richard Parr. “It’s a nice way to start. While it’s never about the medals themselves, it’s great to see that the hard work is paying off. We have a lot of fun and there’s plenty of friendly competition across the squad every day at practice. You don’t need medals to show what you’ve done. You know yourself the work that you and your teammates are doing.”

The BBRC Crew will be back out on the water on Sunday, Oct. 9, at the American Lake Regatta in Lakewood.