About Great Bay Rowing
Our History And Mission
Continuing the strong tradition of Rowing in the Seacoast
Great Bay Rowing was founded in 1996 by Sean O’Connell to address a growing interest in rowing in the Seacoast region of New Hampshire and give back to the community what he had enjoyed as a high school rower on the Oyster River.
The Great Bay Rowing Club (GBR), founded in 1997, is a non-profit, community based organization developed to foster interest in the sport of rowing in the Seacoast region of New Hampshire at both the masters and junior level. Our goal is to provide our members with the opportunity, facilities, equipment and instruction in sweep and sculling techniques, to row at both competitive (novice and varsity) and recreational levels. We strive to provide a rewarding rowing experience that encourages club pride and individual achievement. Participation is open to anyone interested in rowing.
The club initially operated out of a boathouses located at Jackson’s Landing in Durham. Great Bay Rowing continues to share the facilities with the University of New Hampshire. The boathouses exists under a unique arrangement with UNH and the town which requires that a portion of the boathouse be set aside for use by community members, resulting in the boathouse we use today. In 2003 Great Bay Rowing Club purchased a fleet of boats. Prior to this GBR rented the equipment used. This was a milestone in the club’s evolution.
GBR, a young and growing club, had already met with great competitive successes. Both the junior and master teams have won medals at regional regattas. Club teams have been privileged to compete in the prestigious Head of the Charles Regatta, Masters National, and Masters World competitions. Several GBR junior rowers have gone on to take prominent positions on their college rowing teams. Fun events, both rowing, and non-rowing related, have become traditional aspects of the GBR experience. Most recently, GBR was a major contributor to the new Dover site dock in grants and funds. This increased programming significantly and eliminated the need for wet-launch boats. All GBR programs are now able to operate out of the Dover Boathouse Location.
The club continues to aim for competitive success but also hopes to attract a large recreational constituency of sweep and sculling rowers.
