04 October 2021
Thanks for playing! We appreciate your support this year at Textile 2021 and hope your season remains productive. If you have any feedback pro or con, please send it our way at info@textileriverregatta.org. We particularly appreciate that you all rolled with the punches knowing that this would be an experimental year. With some luck, we'll be back at full force in 2022.
Final results can be found on our Results Page or directly at HereNOW.com. We'll be posting some photos over the next couple of days on Google Photos, so stay tuned and of course you're invited to upload your own once it's set up.
Photos from around the venue have been posted on the Photo Album page!
Let's start a little lost and found list - if you have anything to add, send it our way and we'll add it to the list:
02 October 2021
Here's the recording of last night's Zoom C&C Meeting and Coxswains Clinic:
View on YouTube if you want to see the index of chapters and skip to certain sections.
01 October 2021
28 September 2021
The factory is closed. No more entries. We will be tweaking the event start times for better gapping but do not anticipate any changes to the order of the events.
In other news... We modified the COVID policy... MAPS are updated... Note that Saturday check-in is from 2pm to 4pm, not later in the day as it has been in year's past... The Event Program will be a virtual PDF downloadable from this space, we hope to post it by Wednesday night... The Zoom link to the C&C Meeting on Friday night at 7pm will be posted here by Thursday...
Some recent and popular email questions, answered: Yes, you can bring a food truck and kids are allowed to eat on site. Park the trailer on the boulevard but please try to hide it with your boat trailer. Detach the cab. There is no food concession except for the Dunkin across the street. Boat trailers can park on the boulevard starting Friday night, don't expect the Trailer Lot to be accessible until Saturday afternoon. Dogs on leashes are welcome but not on the docks. Follow us on Twitter @textilerr and yes that's a double-r at the end... Race calls will be made by public address around the boathouse but also on Twitter... We might have a Zoom session open all day Sunday if possible, stay tuned.
23 September 2021
We hit the regatta cap of 300 entries yesterday. And we've heard from a few of you asking about additional entries. We are currently considering an increase in the cap, but it's not entirely up to us. If you were hoping to register your entries and were blocked from doing so, you need to write to us at info@textileriverregatta.org ASAP and specifically list the events and number of entries you are seeking. If we are able to raise the cap, you will receive a reply email instructing you to enter your entries into the wait list for each event, and we will pull entries from the wait list so that we can honor the limitations of any new cap. This will all be happening in the next day or two, and it's fairly certain that if we haven't heard from you by Friday night it will be too late - we're not going back for a second bite at the apple once we have asked for one cap extension.
20 September 2021
We've slightly tweaked the order of events to accommodate two hot seat requests. The window for any future considerations is closing rapidly.
07 September 2021
We've posted our COVID-19 SAFETY POLICY. Please read it early and often. If we modify it, that will be noted at the top of the policy.
01 September 2021
We are about to send out an email to all friends of Textile that says the following about this year's regatta:
Additionally
Official TRR and USRowing merch at the N&D Booth
The nominal course length for official purposes is 4500m.
The SDAFL site shown on the map below is also known as the "Rourke Ramp Launch Site". But this year we don't have the personpower to staff this location so it will be closed. The same goes for the popular Beach Launch Area because of parking restrictions along the boulevard below the pavilion. Note that the overflow parking lot (a.k.a. 'Corp Lot') will be open for free school bus and trailer cab parking. If your bus or cab driver wants to attend the regatta, consider driving them back from the Corp Lot by car before you park in the convenient Main Lot across from the Boathouse.
Sorry, NO COURTESY BUS this year. If you are a bus or trailer driver, drop your cargo along the boulevard, follow the yellow dots to park your bus or cab in the CORP LOT and have a teammate or parent with a car bring you back to the venue before they park in the MAIN LOT (cars only, $10 all day).
All cars must be parked in one of the two lots conveniently located near the venue ($10 on Sunday in the MAIN LOT, FREE in the CORP LOT). Handicapped parking is available on the boulevard near the Boathouse and in the HCP lot near the Beach Launch site. There are no exceptions - there are mercenary towing companies (out of our control) who are on call with free reign to tow cars that are parked on the boulevard or in other areas where they should not be. If you are tempted to park on a side street or in the lot of a nearby business, be aware that the mercenary tow companies have contracts to operate on nearly every square inch outside of the MAIN LOT (Regatta Field) and the CORP LOT (across from SDAFL) where we are permitted to park. If your car has been towed and you contact us to complain, we will send you a link right back to this page.
Car-top drop offs are available near the Boathouse and the Beach Launch site but NOT at the Rourke Ramp (SDAFL) launch site which is not available in 2021. At both drop-off locations, find a suitable space on the grounds to situate and secure your boat, keep your car flashers on, and then quickly move your car or SUV to one of the two main lots. It is VITAL that your car doesn't inhibit the arrival of trailers because your space becomes wasted boulevard capacity if two trailers surround you before you move to the parking lot.
There are many U-Turn opportunities along the boulevard, and they come with a dedicated U-Turn lane. If you see an opening for a U-Turn but it doesn't have a dedicated U-turn lane, then it's not a legal U-turn and you are very likely to get rear-ended if you try to use them. Happens all the time. Please obey traffic laws.
REGISTER YOUR TRAILER... Clubs with trailers need to register the trailer with Registration when
they arrive either Sat 4PM - 6PM 2PM - 4PM or
Sunday starting at 6AM. To speedup the process, use the online Trailer Registration
form HERE
and simply confirm with Registration when you arrive. Parking for your Cab/Tow Vehicle is free at the CORP LOT
(Shuttle bus on Sunday).
Trailers are a constant source of amusement and anguish at the Textile. While we haven't changed much for 2021, we are making an attempt here to give better guidance on how to arrive and depart with a trailer and also offer some common sense guidelines to streamline the process.
If you haven't heard this elsewhere, for 2021 the TRR is a one-day regatta on Sunday. The Saturday before the regatta is for setup, staging, and also for trailer arrivals.
Roughly working from the top of the map to the bottom:
We try to manage the arrangement of trailers in the main Trailer Lot a little more carefully than we do anywhere else. Everyone wants to be close to the main docks, and that puts this popular location right on top of the dock queues.
The map and notes below are trying to show that trailers entering the trailer lot should meet a few nominal conditions, and arrival timing has a lot to do with how successful we are in packing the lot.
Check back soon.
Hotel and Restaurant Management: If you would like to offer preferred rates or discounts to attendees of the Textile River Regatta, please send your information to info@textileriverregatta before Sunday September 26th for posting here on our site. Please be advised that due to time limitations we are not able to engage in protracted discussions or offer firm quantities for block rooms or minimum attendance.
Where to eat:
merrimackvalley.org/where-to-eat
Things to do:
merrimackvalley.org/what-to-do
General Info on the area:
www.merrimackvalley.org
Links and favorable hotel rates courtesy of
For navigation purposes, tell your magic navigation device to take you to "500 Pawtucket Blvd Lowell MA".
Route 3 south to OLD exit 32. I have no idea what the new exit number is, and I'm not about to drive up there just to find out. Left at the second light at the far end of the square rotary onto Drum Hill Rd. Several lights to the Rourke Bridge, make a right off the bridge.
On 495 take OLD exit 35B to get you onto Route 3 heading North. Route 3 north about 2 miles to OLD exit 32. Make a right at the top of the exit onto Drum Hill Rd. Several lights to the Rourke Bridge, then make a right off the bridge.
Classifications |
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| AGE DEFINITION: | Age is defined as your age on December 31, 2021. (New in 2016 - changed to agree with FISA/HOCR) |
| ABOVE ALL: | Regardless of any overlaps you might find in the categorization of rowers or events, rowers in high school or youth rowing club programs cannot row in an event or with a crew that has collegiate rowers. Period. End of discussion. |
| NOVICE: | First season in a sculling shell for sculling events. First season rowing for a high school, or first season rowing at the collegiate level for sweep events. So if you rowed in high school and are a freshman in college, you are eligible to row in a collegiate novice event with your college. |
| LIGHTWEIGHT: |
(Changed in 2011, now agrees with HOCR)
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| AGE CLASSIFICIATIONS: |
The age classifications below are provided for possible future use. However, since the TRR does not have age-specific or decade-specific Masters events, our rule is that any rower 23 years or older and not affiliated with a collegiate or secondary school rowing program may row in a Masters event. The USRA calculation for handicaps will apply to all Masters events.
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| CLUB: |
Textile River Regatta definition in effect as follows:
Limited to person (including coxswains) who in ANY sculling or sweep-oared event (master or veteran events excepted) DID NOT:
Race officials reserve the right to classify foreign crews into the appropriate event based on the racing experience of the competitors in the boat. |
| JUNIOR / YOUTH: |
Any rower presently enrolled in secondary school. We
consider this to be the equivalent of "HS" or "High School"
designations used in the past. |
| U23 / COLLEGIATE: | Any rower presently enrolled in college or university and not eligible for U19 designation. We consider the U23 USRowing defintion to be the equivalent of the TRR "Collegiate" designation. Also includes a post graduate rower under the age of 23. |
| MIXED: |
In a Mixed event, crew must consist of equal numbers of men and
women, not including the coxswain. Note that all Mixed events at
the TRR use USRA handicapping to economize on the number of
separate events we offer. |
Rules |
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| COURSE: | The Textile River Regatta is rowed over a nominal 4,500 meter course beginning below Tyng Island and finishing along the Heritage State Park walkway, approximately 1,000 meters south of the Bellegarde boathouse. The course is clearly marked along its length with buoys. |
| LAUNCH SITES: |
Boats are to launch from the docks at the UML Bellegarde Boathouse ("BOATHOUSE") or the
City of Lowell Beach located next to the Pavilion (downstream from the
boathouse about a mile, known as "BEACH"). Singles, 2x/2- and 4x/4-/4+ may launch from the Rourke Boat Ramp ("SDAFL") upriver from the
boathouse about 3/4 mile [New in 2014]. While there is ample room for trailers in the parking lot of this location, the docks are not
long enough to launch eights. Each of the three launch sites is staffed by one or more Dockmasters who have the authority for launching operations,
traffic patterns and priorities at each site.
Priority will be given to boats launching for an event over those returning from a previous event. All boats should launch no later than sixty minutes prior to the start of their event. A Dockmaster will be present to expedite boat traffic. ALWAYS launch and dock with the bow pointed upstream. Boats should STAY ON THE NORTH SIDE of the river upon launching. This is the same side as the boathouse. The travel lane is entirely on the north side - there is NO river crossing. Keep ample berth between the land on starboard and the course, which is designated by RED buoys on PORT. |
| BUOYS: | RED buoys mark PORT side of the course, and GREEN buoys
mark the STARBOARD side. What this means: Keep the RED buoys to PORT at
all times, both going upriver to the Start and on the course. YELLOW buoys
mark hazards. Do not try to put your oars over a yellow buoy as it might
have drifted and you could hit the hazard it is marking. Do not attempt to
go between a green buoy and the shore, even on your way up to the starting
line!!!! Giant ORANGE buoys mark the start and the finish lines.
To Emphasize and Summarize:
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| START: |
Each entrant is responsible for arriving at the marshalling area ten
minutes prior to the start of their event. Boats will be started in order
by bow number at approximately ten second intervals. Late-arriving boats
may lose their starting position or be excluded from the race at the
discretion of the Starter. Boats must pass through the starting buoys to
be officially recognized.
Crews late to the start may start at the discretion of the referees at the start line. If a late crew is allowed to start, a time will be recorded, however the publication of this time within the results of the original event and/or the boat's standing in the event are not guaranteed. To do your warm-ups, move past the orange buoys marking the marshalling area at the Start. Make sure you do not continue upstream out of earshot of the marshals. |
| FINISH: |
Participants not passing between the two finishing buoys with bow marker
intact are subject to exclusion from the race. Once beyond the finish
line, boats MUST clear the Finish line and row clear of all the orange
bouys following the finish line before turning. This is so you do not
block the other crews as they cross the line. Impeding boats that are
still racing constitutes a major (30 second) violation.
Warning: There is a waterfall approximately 1500 meters past the
Finish line. You should avoid rowing over the falls if at all
possible.
To return to the docks, turn to port and return to the docks in the return lane along the wall. Dock carefully with safety in mind and LISTEN for the Dockmaster's instructions. |
| ELIGIBILITY: | See Classifications at the top of this page. |
| EQUIPMENT: | Bowmarkers and bibs must be picked up at the Registration desk (one per boat per race). All boats launching must have their bowmarkers secured. Bowmarkers will be collected at the launch site. BOWCLIPS: All boats must have a bow clip to which a bowmarker can be secured. We won't have spare bow clips at the regatta, so make sure your boat is equipped. BOW BALL: All shells MUST be equipped with a bowball. HEEL STRAPS: All boats MUST have heel straps securely in place at launch time per USRA rules. This is a cool-weather regatta and heel strap compliance is a very popular item with the referees. |
| PENALTIES & PROTESTS: |
Regatta Marshals and USRowing Referees along the course will be responsible for assessing penalties, USRowing Referees
are responsible for hearing your protests. In the event you wish to protest, notify any Textile staff person who will
direct you to a referee. USRowing rules shall apply if not specifically mentioned below.
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Thanks for playing, see you next year!
The TRR Committee welcomes vendors in the rowing community who wish to set up their tent at the Textile River Regatta on Sunday. We provide ample space between the boathouse and bathhouse where rowers and guests are concentrated. We also offer advertising on our web sites and ad space in our Event Program at very affordable rates.
The regatta itself typically brings over 600 boats to the Merrimac River for a great day of racing and fun. Accompanying those boats are the over 3,000 competitors that row them, and a few thousand friends and family, all within a short walk of where we locate the vendor area downriver from the boathouse. Please note that for 2021, we are purposefully restricting the regatta to a maximum of 300 entries in consideration of safety protocols related to COVID-19 as well as limitations placed on the venue by the City of Lowell.
If you can't make it to the regatta, or just wish to increase your exposure to the rowing community, we offer the options of advertising on our MRRA and TRR rowing web sites and in the TRR Event Program. Our web sites generate high traffic, especially in the days before and after the TRR, and your ads are good for a full year from first posting.
NOTE: Please note that the TRR has a signed contract with N&D Sports for official TRR merchandise for 2021. Merchandise may not carry any reference to the Textile River Regatta without prior approval from the TRR and N&D Sports.
Tent space or ads can be reserved by selecting one of the options below and paying online, via PayPal or any major credit card, or via check sent in advance of the event. If you pay by check, please make out check to Textile River Regatta Committee and send to:
Textile River Regatta Committee - VENDORS
P.O. Box 1493
Lowell, MA 01852-1493
We have simplified our pricing structure to accommodate the following options:
Note that online payments using PayPal are processed using our MRRA account and your credit card statement will read from "MRRA" or "Merrimac River Rowing Association". You will receive a receipt via email from PayPal. We do not store any personal or credit card information on our site.
| Item | Description | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|
| VTENTWEBAD | Vendor Tent Space + Website Ad Image file PNG or JPEG, 250x250 max pixels. Tent space 10'x10' or 10'x20', write to us if you need special accommodations or a larger area. |
$200 | |
| VWEBAD | Website Ad Image file PNG or JPEG, 250x250 max pixels. |
$50 | |
| VPROGAD | Event Program Ad We print and distribute 800+ programs on the day of the regatta. Please include PNG or JPEG image file no larger than 800x800 pixels. The best ads will have your website URL embedded in the image since the paper event programs are not clickable! |
$50 | |
| VCOMBO2 | Vendor Tent Space + Website Ad + Event Program Ad All of the above combo package. |
$250 |
If your name appears in this list, we have received your request to participate as a vendor for this year's TRR. If you've paid but don't see your name, please check back - the site doesn't update in real time.
PPTX updated, 0/0.
CURRENT VENDOR RESERVATIONS |
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01 ... TRR-VWEBAD (carl popolo with email address carl@popolo.com at 2021-08-29 14:47) 02 ... TRR-VPROGAD (James Aulenback with email address paypal@sportgraphics.com at 2021-09-23 15:21) 03 ... TRR-VWEBAD (James Aulenback with email address paypal@sportgraphics.com at 2021-09-23 15:21) 04 ... TRR-VTENTWEBAD (Michael Norwood with email address mike@wearswoody.com at 2021-09-28 12:43) Team Tent Reservation01 ... TRR-VTENTRES (Melissa Currier with email address mcurrier@currcomm.com at 2021-09-30 19:20) Tent Area C01 ... (Carl Popolo with email address carl@popolo.com at 2022-08-18 11:31) TRR-VWEBADWebsite Ad01 ... (Carl Popolo with email address carl@popolo.com at 2022-08-19 11:01) TRR-VTENTWEBADVendor Tent Space + Website Ad01 ... (BRIAN HEBERT with email address biggreent5261@gmail.com at 2022-09-06 14:22) TRR-VWEBADWebsite Ad01 ... (Kelley Cullenberg with email address spanditsapparel@gmail.com at 2022-09-08 11:24) TRR-VTENTWEBADVendor Tent Space + Website Ad01 ... (Michael Norwood with email address mike@wearswoody.com at 2022-10-01 21:08) TRR-VCOMBO2Vendor Tent Space + Website Ad + Program Ad01 ... (BRIAN HEBERT with email address biggreent5261@gmail.com at 2023-08-08 12:25) TRR-VTENTWEBADVendor Tent Space + Website Ad01 ... (David Dickison with email address davedickison0@hotmail.com at 2023-09-25 10:16) 02 ... (Michael Norwood with email address mike@wearswoody.com at 2023-09-30 17:13) |
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Contact us at vendors@textileriverregatta.org
Write to us at info@textileriverregatta.org. In the days leading up to the regatta this account is nearly monitored full-time. The phone number formerly associated with us no longer accepts voice messages. But if you'd like to FAX us your question, it will work so knock yourself out.
You can reserve your Team Tent spaces for 2021. Use the form at the bottom of this page to make your reservation.
Reservations are $75 for a 10' x 20' tent space. Tents are not included. Reservations are on a first-come first-served basis according to the date of payment using the PayPal link below. Space is limited. If we cannot accommodate your first preference, we will contact you to see if an alternate area is suitable or else promptly issue you a refund.
Reservations will hold your tent space for your setup starting on Saturday after 1pm. We expect to have your spaces staked out with signage by Friday night before the regatta, but we may be running into Saturday morning. Confirm your exact space location at the registration desk at the Boathouse sometime around Friday night.
Once confirmed, your space will be designated on our site map so that your crew and guests will be able to locate your camp site quickly. It's also a convenient way to know that you'll have a specific rally point in advance of your arrival at the regatta.
Note that these spaces are not intended for boat rigging. It simply gives you a way to have a pre-defined place for your team, boosters, parents and alumni to meet. Also note that trailer parking is not guaranteed, so it may be difficult to co-locate your trailer with the reserved tent space. All spaces are along the river walk above and below the boathouse and have perfect views of the last 1k of the racing. Area C is closest to the Finish line; Area D is below the Finish.
Also note that we allocate and stake the space on strict 20' boundaries. If you don't think your team will fit into a 10' x 20' space, please reserve two or more spaces as necessary and we will be able to insure that your spaces are together.
CURRENT TEAM TENT SPACE RESERVATIONS |
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Tent Area A01 ... POPOLO (Qty 1 by carl popolo at 2021-08-29 12:09) 02 ... Duxbury Bay Maritime (Qty 1 by Thomas Weldon at 2021-09-09 20:52) 03 ... The Derryfield School (Qty 1 by Christopher Hettler at 2021-09-23 15:39) 04 ... Friends of Concord Crew (Qty 1 by Steven Garside at 2021-09-29 21:07) Tent Area B01 ... POPOLO (Qty 1 by carl popolo at 2021-08-26 12:35) 02 ... Brookline Rowing (Qty 2 by Shari Noe at 2021-09-08 21:43) 03 ... Haverhill High School (Qty 2 by Kaitlin Martel at 2021-09-15 13:01) 04 ... HB Crew (Qty 1 by Mark Lewis at 2021-09-19 20:18) 05 ... Souhegan Crew (Qty 1 by Leigh Ann Evans at 2021-09-19 21:10) 06 ... Boston College High School (Qty 1 by Marie Cairo at 2021-09-21 10:08) 07 ... Boston College High School (Qty 1 by Marie Cairo at 2021-09-21 10:43) 08 ... Megunticook Rowing (Qty 1 by Anna Goodale at 2021-09-21 11:14) 09 ... Central crew club NH (Qty 1 by Michael Shields at 2021-09-22 21:29) 10 ... St. John's Prep (Qty 1 by Timothy Broderick at 2021-09-24 11:00) 11 ... Bromfield Acton Boxborough (Qty 1 by Holly Hatton at 2021-09-27 11:51) 12 ... University of Maine (Qty 1 by Paige Solans at 2021-09-28 10:36) 13 ... Great Bay Rowing (Qty 1 by Melissa Currier at 2021-09-30 19:19) Tent Area C01 ... Winsor (Qty 2 by Lisa Stone at 2021-08-31 13:53) 02 ... Arlington Belmont Crew (Qty 1 by peter thompson at 2021-09-10 11:50) 03 ... Cambridge Rindge and Latin (Qty 1 by Eric Litman at 2021-09-15 08:45) 04 ... Hingham High Crew (Qty 2 by Sonya Claridge at 2021-09-24 10:49) 05 ... Greater Lawrence Rowing (GLR) (Qty 2 by Andrew McDevitt at 2021-09-28 08:44) |
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Use the map above to determine where you'd like to reserve tent space. Use the PayPal link below to choose your preferred area, and then complete the checkout process in PayPal. Space is limited. If we cannot honor your request for any reason, we will let you know and issue a prompt refund.
The Tent Reservation system is closed. It's too late to make a tent reservation for this year's regatta.
PLEASE NOTE: If you do not elect to reserve tent space, we kindly ask that you respect the signage for those areas that have been set aside for clubs that made reservations. This may conflict with the location where you 'typically' set up at the TRR, but rest easy that there will be ample room for everyone - 80% of the venue space is open and not available for reservations. The point of making a reservation is for the convenience of having a known location and rally point for your team in advance of your arrival.
We're working on it.
2021-10 Textile River Regatta (114 items)
2019-10 Textile River Regatta (282 items)
2019-06 Festival Regatta (348 items)
2018-10 Textile River Regatta (240 items)
2018-06 Festival Regatta (215 items)
2017-10 Textile River Regatta (262 items)
2017-06 Festival Regatta (139 items)
2017-06 Festival Regatta (269 items)
Jim Polcari (49 items)
Version 1.0 posted 07-Sept-2021.
Version 1.1 posted 28-Sept-2021.
We are excited to be hosting the Textile River Regatta in 2021, and the health and safety of our athletes, coaches, officials, volunteers and spectators is of paramount importance. Consistent with guidance from the CDC and the state of MA, as well as the Covid policies in place at U Mass Lowell, the TRR will operate under the following rules:
The Textile River Regatta Committee is responsible for this message and reserves the right to change the policy at anytime. If you have any questions please Contact Us.
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