Rowing is the act of propelling a boat through the water with the use of oars. In a rowing shell the rower sits on a seat that moves both forward and backward. This enables the rower to bend and straighten his or her legs increasing the length of each row or “stroke” as we say. This makes the boat much more effective and faster than a regular rowboat. The rower basically rows using the oars to push the water in front of them causing them to go backwards. There are two different types of rowing, sweep and sculling. In sweep rowing each rower holds one oar with both hands, and is in a boat with 2, 4 or 8 other rowers. In sculling, each rower has two oars, one in each hand, and may row in a single, double or quad.

We are located in MacWilliams Park by the boat ramps directly across the basin from the Dog Park. See our LOCATION MAP

Periodically during the year, we have 4 week Learn to Row programs that meet twice a week designed for total novices. Most classes are run in the morning but we can schedule evening classes in the summer if there is enough interest. Once you complete a Learn To Row class you can join Vero Beach Rowing on a discounted basis and can continue to hone your rowing with coached sessions three times a week.

All members who have completed our Learn To Row program or have previous rowing experience can use our club boats whenever they would like. You can sign up for a membership HERE.

While the best value can be found in our Annual option, available adult memberships options are Annual ($575), Winter ($350) or Visiting 1 month ($110). Additional Family members for a an Annual members are $290.

Coached sessions for adult members take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:15 to 9:00 AM and Sunday from 7:30 to 9:30 AM. In addition to coached sessions, adult members who have completed our Learn To Row program or have previous rowing experience can use our club boats whenever they would like. Private lessons are also available.

No. The club owns a great variety of boats available for our members to use. That said, many of our most avid rowers decide to get their own boat in order to guarantee its availability as club boats are available on a first come, first served basis via our on-line boat reservation system.

Yes! We have plenty of rack space available for our members to store their private boats at our facility. The annual rack storage fee is $250 in our secure boatyard, or $375 inside our boathouse. Stored boats do not necessarily need to be rowing boats. Kayaks and canoes are welcome in our boatyard.

While we typically do our best to stay ON the water rather than IN the water, there is always the possibility that you could end up on the wrong side of the hull when you go out rowing. All members are required to complete a Swim Attestation form before getting started.

Our Youth Team is open to students in 9th-12th grade from any high school in Indian River County.

Our Middle School team is open to any 7th and 8th graders from the county and practices twice a week.

Both teams have Fall (beginning in August) and Spring (beginning in January) seasons. Rowers can participate in either or both seasons.

Finally, we have Summer Rowing Camps available which offer rowing opportunities to youth rowers of all experience levels in seven weekly sessions during June and July.

http://verobeachrowing.org/youth-rowing-4/

Fall and Spring Season fees vary. The fee for the 2019 Fall Season (also known as Head Race Season) was $700. This covers the costs of equipment usage and repair, race entries, regatta food, coaching, and general operational costs. The fee for the 2020 Spring Season (also known as Sprint or Championship Season) was $1000. The Spring Season is the longer of the two seasons and involves a greater number of races as well as the possibility of qualifying for State and National Championship regattas (travel to these extra races is not included in the cost of the regular season). Payment plans are available to those wishing to spread their payments out over three payments. We also have a needs-based scholarship program

http://verobeachrowing.org/youth-rowing-4/

The fee for each season with the Middle School Team is $450. This fee covers the costs of equipment usage and repair, coaching, and general operational costs. Middle Schoolers row twice a week, with the option of Tuesday/Thursday or Wednesday/Friday.

We are working actively with our Community Partners to expose a wide variety of people to rowing on the Indian River Lagoon. Our current partners include Vero Beach Boys & Girls Club and Homeless Children’s Foundation, and we are expanding ties with a number of other local agencies. We also have Learn To Row classes in partnership with Friends After Diagnosis to provide rowing opportunities to Female Cancer Survivors. As we grow it is our goal to do more and of these special programs for the betterment of the community.

Our new 14,000 sq. ft. boathouse, the Toffey Rowing Center, opened in February 2020. It is the perfect venue to enable us to expand our programs and start new programs to make the joy of rowing available to more of the Indian River County community.

Contributions are always appreciated. Information on Donor Levels for the building project can be found HERE

Vero Beach is an ideal location for visiting crews to train. We have plenty of protected water and our rowing site is only a few minutes from the beach. Right next to our new boathouse is our secure boatyard with covered rack space for all your fleet. We have  coaching launches to rent and boats and oars as well if you want to leave your trailer behind. Visit http://verobeachrowing.org/visiting-teams-7/ for more info and to complete a questionaire so we may provide you a quote. Contact Director of Rowing Brian Colgan at dor@verobeachrowing.org for any questions on training in Vero Beach.