Local rowers not sinking but winning

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Let’s chat about the wet and wild world of regatta -- a race of human-powered vessels, chant-happy crews and raspy-voiced cockswains.

It’s a splashing good time, and it’s right here on our waterways.

In fact, we have ourselves a boatload of rowing champs, such as Marina Aquatic Center’s Varsity 8 girls’ crew -- comprised of Tess Hartigan (Harvard-Westlake), Celeste Wise (Marymount), Anna Rasmussen (Marlborough), Katie O’Hanlon (El Segundo), Ariana Chehrazi (Marlborough), Gaby Zarate-de Macedo (Immaculate Heart), Lindsay Pollock (Windward), Sarah Thompson (Marlborough) and Amber Heron (Santa Monica).

The Varsity 8 squad recently won a gold medal at the California Cup Challenge in Long Beach.

That’s also where the aquatic center’s boys’ crew won the Lightweight 4 division and stayed undefeated for two years now. The gold medalists are Hannah Shaw (City of Angels), Henry Perazzelli (Loyola), Xavier Keyser (Palisades), Adrian Wieshofer (Santa Monica) and Aki Edgerton (Santa Monica).

The next major regatta is the prestigious San Diego Crew Classic on April 5th and 6th. You should check it out.

Oh, and if you want to read more about coxswains, click here.

-- Anthony Stitt