By Laura Caldwell, Expeditionary Programs Manager
On May 31, 2025, high school and middle school students, rowers, coaches, and families gathered here at Lake Champlain Maritime Museum for the 2025 Spring Wave Seasonal Open-Water Rowing Championship. Despite gray skies and a bleak forecast, crews came to the Museum’s harbor in Vergennes, VT from near and far to participate in this year’s event. Local school groups included Mt. Abraham Middle and High School, Vergennes Middle and High School, Champlain Valley Union High School, Burlington High School, and Lake Champlain Waldorf School. Traveling teams came from the New York Harbor School, as well as Maine’s Northaven Community School and Vinalhaven School.
Open-water rowing, also known as coastal rowing or gig rowing, is an international sport with clubs in the USA, UK, Italy, France, the Netherlands, Australia, Bermuda, and more. For two decades, the boat shop at Lake Champlain Maritime Museum has been building a fleet of 6-oared and 4-oared rowing gigs for youth and adult crews to practice this sport in Lake Champlain. Each year over 700 students participate in the Museum’s boat building or rowing programs. Regional races are hosted in Vermont and Massachusetts for youth teams to meet each year. The Spring Wave is the final race of the school year for many school teams and is held at the Maritime Museum each spring with heats for novice, intermediate, and experienced rowers.
Race day started with the novice 4-oared and 6-oared boats, followed by the intermediate and then experienced. The race course was ½ mile out and back around a mid-lake buoy, and a sprint back to the finish line. The novices got the best of the day’s weather, racing under light rain and moderate wind. In the 6-oared boat category, Vergennes Union High School novice crew came in first at 17 minutes, 55 seconds and Burlington High School came in second with 18 minutes, 38 seconds. In the 4-oared boat group, New York Harbor School had the fastest time at 17 minutes, 31 seconds.
As the day progressed and the weather escalated, the intermediate boats got on the water. A 4-oared gig from the New York Harbor School had a great time of 14 minutes, 38 seconds. There were also five 6-oar gigs competing in this heat. Vinalhaven came in first place at 15 minutes,16 seconds; they were followed closely by the crew from Northaven with 15 minutes 20 seconds. The intermediate Mt. Abe boat came in third at 15 minutes; 23 seconds; and Champlain Valley Union High School’s two boats came in at 16 minutes, 54 seconds and 18 minutes, 9 seconds.
The last heat of the day was for experienced rowers, fittingly when the wind and rain were at their peak. This round had three 4-oared and three 6-oared boats. For the 4-oared boats, New York Harbor School came in first and second place with times of 15 minutes 39 seconds and 16 minutes 51 seconds, respectively. Burlington High School was close behind with 17 minutes, 4 seconds. The experienced 6-oared boats were led by Mt. Abe who came in at 14 minutes 55 seconds. Burlington High School came in second at 18 minutes, 24 seconds; and Lake Champlain Waldorf School followed with a broken oar and a time of 20 minutes 18 seconds.
After the races, students and spectators gathered out of the rain in the Museum’s auditorium for an awards ceremony for the winners and graduating seniors. This event is the last time student rowers are together during the school year. To mark this accomplishment and the end of the season, each year the Museum honors and presents glass deck prisms to the graduating seniors who have participated in the Champlain Longboats youth rowing program. Their presence, leadership, and experience will be missed next year!
The final event of the Spring Wave race day is the presentation of the Bradley Cunningham Award to three student rowers. Brad Cunningham was a student rower who rowed and raced in the Museum’s first ever pilot gig, Spirit of Otter Creek, in 1999. He was also a participant and junior leader in the Museum’s Champlain Discovery summer kayak program for five years. Brad was passionate about on-water programs, knew how to lead by example, and was a bright light of positivity for all who knew him. He tragically died in a ski accident in January 2001. Each year, Vermont rowing coaches nominate graduating senior rowers who exemplify Brad’s light and leadership, and the Museum presents them with the Bradley Cunningham Award.
If you’re interested in open-water rowing, join a youth club at your school or sign up for one of the Museum’s weekly rowing clubs. All are welcome!
Photos of race day courtesy of Buzz Kuhns.
