Who We Are
The Bay Area Whaleboat Rowing Association (BAWRA) is made up of men's, women's, mixed, and master's teams based in Oakland, San Francisco, and Vallejo. The teams compete in different locations around the bay during racing seasons in the spring and fall.
BAWRA has five Core Values promoting the bringing together of people of all walks of life to enjoy the Bay Area in a unique way from the water. Our community includes rowers with their families and friends, as well as officials and volunteers. Our activities include practices and training, races, the development of rules and procedures, and celebrations.
Our Overarching Values are Safety and Fairness.
Our People Values are Inclusivity, Community, and Fun.
Our History
When the great windjammers of the mid-1800's put into port on the Barbary Coast, the ships' crews often faced long layovers while their captains negotiated for cargo. With wages spent and time on their hands, the crews would race lifeboats against crews from other vessels in port.
Competition took its current form in the mid-1960's under the sponsorship of maritime companies, using Coast Guard Monomoy Surfboats (aka whaleboats) built in the 1930's and 40's. By 1982 the Bay Area Whaleboat Rowing Association (BAWRA) was formed to provide standards for safety and competition, as well as coordinate regattas and other activities. By the mid 1980's, new whaleboats were built by BAWRA members for the purpose of racing.
The photo at right was taken in 1987 at South Beach Harbor in San Francisco, at our first annual Bridge to Bridge Race.
The whaleboat rower of today defies classification, coming from all walks of life. However we all love being on the water, rowing with a team, and honoring the tradition of sea-worthy pulling boats.
Whaleboats at the start of the ERC Sprints race on San Francisco Bay
Monomoy Surfboat construction plans
The Boats
The BAWRA clubs race each other in Monomoy Surfboats — descendants of the shore-based whaleboats used off Cape Cod and Monomoy Island in the 18th century. The decline of whales off the East Coast led to the development of sailing vessels that could pursue whales into deeper water, and the whaleboats turned into the lifeboats of the area.
Today, the biggest concentration of Monomoys in the world is here in San Francisco Bay. Some are wood, some are fiberglass and some are a combination of the two.
No matter what they are made of, it's still the strength and determination of the crew that makes a winning team.
Who We Are
We have five core values promoting the bringing together of people of all walks of life to enjoy the Bay Area in a unique way from the water.
Our Overarching Values are Safety and Fairness. Our People Values are Inclusivity, Community, and Fun.
Overarching Values
01
Safety comes first.
02
Only fair activities and a fair community will keep people coming back.
People Values
03
We value the individual contribution, skills, values, perspective, and identities of everyone in our community.
04
We develop our community by creating an inclusive, safe, respectful, and welcoming culture for all.
05
Being able to laugh, love, and celebrate our unique sport is at the heart of whaleboat rowing.
Values in Action
The intersection of the Overarching and People Values describes how they operate together.
|
Overarching ↓ ↑ People |
Safety Safety comes first. |
Fairness Only fair activities and a fair community will keep people coming back. |
|
Inclusivity We value the individual contribution, skills, values, perspective, and identities of everyone. |
We want the safe participation of everyone, as themselves, in whatever capacity they are able to safely participate. |
We must welcome and treat everyone fairly regardless of race, gender identity, orientation, religious affiliation, ability, national origin, or age. |
|
Community We develop our community by creating an inclusive, safe, respectful, and welcoming culture for all. |
Safety for everyone threads throughout our activities to keep our community safe. |
Inclusive, safe, respectful, welcoming — these words amplify our idea of fairness. Racing teams row under equally fair conditions with an equally fair chance of winning. |
|
Fun Being able to laugh, love, and celebrate our unique sport is at the heart of whaleboat rowing. |
Safety and fun are not mutually exclusive. But fun without safety can take away the fun for all. |
It's not fair to have this much fun. |
Member Clubs
Joining BAWRA means joining one of the clubs. All welcome new members and are ready to talk about location, schedules, and fitness. BAWRA also welcomes new clubs — with or without a boat.
Recognition
Honorary Membership is conferred upon an individual by the BAWRA Board.
1989
1990
2013
2014–2015
2025
