The Steinwachs Family Boathouse on the New Meadows River, which was completed this spring, will be dedicated in October during Homecoming Weekend.
The new boathouse became operational in late March. In fact, head coach Doug Welling shares an anecdote about the team’s trailer returning from spring training camp in South Carolina just before a snowstorm dropped about six inches of snow on the midcoast area that evening.
“We drove the fully loaded trailer into the safety of the boathouse just prior to the snow starting,” said Welling. “It was the first time in our team's history that the trailer and full fleet of equipment could be fully protected from the conditions.”
View a slideshow of images that include Bowdoin's earliest boathouses, dating back to 1870, as well as historic images of the team through the years.
The new boathouse is located on the site of the former Smith Boathouse and fulfills a need that emerged with the growth of the rowing team over the past decade.
With upwards of eighty athletes on the roster, the team has increased its fleet both in the number of boats and in their size.
To remain competitive and to enhance safety on the water, the team increasingly uses eight-person shells, commonly referred to as 8s or 8+s.
Smith Boathouse, dedicated in 2002, was designed only to house ten four-person rowing shells and could not accommodate the team’s evolution toward larger boats.
The new structure, whose interior features trim made of siding recovered from Smith Boathouse, not only houses and protects this equipment but also provides needed improvements, including a team area, accessible restrooms, and a safety shower for warming in the event of a capsize.
“Bowdoin rowing is special because it brings so many students together to form a united team,” said Jeff and Ellen Steinwachs P’25.
“Rowing is unique because athletes can learn the sport relatively quickly and become a competitive team. It offers many opportunities for leadership and individual development.”
“For the first time ever, our team is able to gather indoors, and the new house protects our full fleet of rowing shells from the weather,” Welling said.
“And the warmth of a heated bathroom feels incredible after a cold morning on the water!”
Welling says the passion and work ethic of Bowdoin’s rowers, coupled with the generosity of the program’s many supporters, have yielded many successes in recent years.
“Bowdoin has been well represented on a national and international stage, with gold medal wins at the Head of the Charles, New England Rowing Championships, and Dad Vail Regatta and trips abroad to the Women's Henley and Royal Henley regattas in England,” he said, adding that spring 2025 was another season for the record books.
“Bowdoin traveled with fifty-two athletes to the American Collegiate Rowing Association (ACRA) National Championships in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Highlight finishes included bronze medals for the men's varsity four, women's novice eight, and women's varsity eight. The Bowdoin women highlighted their team depth with a gold medal win in the second varsity eight event, their second win at the national championships, and the team's second overall national championship points total win."
Read more about the team’s recent victories here.
