Community Rowing at Pier 40

Community Rowing now open—every sunday at noon

Village Community Boathouse provides free, no experience necessary Community Rowing at Pier 40 on the Hudson River every Sunday at noon and every Wednesday at 5 pm, from April through November, weather permitting. Check the calendar for exact dates.

Sign up here for the April 21 community row!

At each session, after a brief orientation, participants will be assigned to a crew with an experienced coxswain to steer the boat and a mixture of experienced and new rowers. Our boats, Whitehall gigs, are stable, traditional working boats for four rowers and a coxswain.

Please note: Rows will last between one and three hours, dependent on weather, tides, and destination. Participants are expected to help launch, retrieve, and clean the boats each session.

Community rowing is open to all, although some physical agility is required. The focus of the program is on teamwork and recreation in a safe and respectful environment. Each participant must sign a waiver. Life jackets are provided. Expect to be out in the hot sun for several hours—bring water and sunscreen!

Click here for directions and a map.

Youth Rowing

Each Friday at 4 pm high school students congregate at the boathouse on Pier 40 for free rowing. Youth rowing is open to all high school students. No experience is necessary. All students must bring a waiver signed by a parent or guardian. After gaining experience in the program, students can get on our race team for several events throughout the Northeast. For more information email info@vcb.nyc.

Click here for a gallery of youth rowing.

Rowing in Van Cortlandt Park

Village Community Boathouse offers free rowing in traditional, handmade wooden rowboats on select weekday evenings in summer from 4 to 7 pm. You will get 25 minutes to explore beautiful Van Cortlandt Park Lake. Boats are available on a first-come, first-served basis, no reservations. Rowing is a simple, healthy, and empowering sport, and the waters of the lake are an ideal place to pursue its pleasures.

Click here for a map.

Community Boatbuilding

If you would like to help us maintain our fleet and build new boats you are welcome to join the boatbuilding crew on Sundays and Wednesdays at noon, year-round. No experience or advance signup is necessary. Come to our spacious and well equipped boat shop on the south side of Pier 40 where we build and maintain our gigs. The work varies from scraping and painting to cutting and glueing, all under the supervision of experienced boatbuilders.

Commission a Boat

Find out how here.