On Sunday, Oct. 3, the Vashon Island Rowing Club traveled to Seattle to compete in the Tail of the Lake regatta, the first Seattle-area head race of the fall rowing season. Held on Lake Union in downtown Seattle, the city skyline provided the backdrop for the four-kilometer course.

From the vantage point of Gas Works Park, racers remained in view of spectators from start to finish — an uncommon occurrence in head racing — which made this regatta fun for fans and rowers alike. The club’s new coach, Steve Full, prepared the rowers well for the regatta, in which 24 other clubs participated.

The women’s novice quad (four rowers in a boat) of first-season rowers Halimah Griffin, Amelia Ada, Martina Ametteis, Shannon Lip and coxswain Liam McConnell placed first in their category. Taking another first place in the men’s novice quad were rowers Baxter Call, Griff Jennings, Julian Baca, Liam McConnell and coxswain Shannon Lipe. In the men’s junior four race, Yusuf Griffin, Max Croonquist, Ryan Bingham, Alec Spencer and coxswain Hannah Scheer worked hard to earn 11th out of 15. There were 10 boats in the men’s junior double category, and Alex Soriano and Isaiah Mosser-Rohe came in sixth.

In the women’s junior quad race, Anna Ripley, Halimah Griffin, Kelsey Abella and Amelia Ada received fourth place. In another women’s junior quad race, Tera Jane Ripley, Charlotte Kehoe, Katelyn Carter and Erika Odmark moved their boat fast and finished first.

Both the men’s and women’s varsity quads raced in open categories, which are open to any age. In the men’s varsity quad race, Tate Gill, Ky Burton, Gus Magnuson and Tim Hanson screamed around the lake, coming in first place — 83 seconds ahead of the second-place boat. In the women’s varsity quad race, Avalon Koenig, Mia Croonquist, Alaina Williams and Emmie Kehoe also came in first, finishing only 80 seconds behind a boat with twice as many rowers.

The highlights of the master’s races were the men’s four-plus. Eric Gill, John Janetty, Jeff Hoyt, Steve Haworth and coxswain Sarah Warner finished sixth. Gary Schoch, Bob Horsley, Ed Zapel, Dave Hattery and coxswain Olivia Sayvetz earned seventh place. Finishing fifth in the women’s eight-plus were Debby Jackson, Lisa Huggenvik, Marilyn Kleyn, Lana Krisman, Jan Peterson, Holly Zapel, Donna Nespor, Celia Congdon and coxswain Mari Hamper. Rowing a men’s double were Chad Magnuson and Bruce Morser, who came in third.

—Janet Williams is the publicity chair for the Vashon Island Rowing Club.