October 15, 2025

S6E21 - Lasting Legacy: 60 Years of The Head Of The Charles Regatta

59 minutes

In 2025, the Head of the Charles regatta celebrates 60 years - so we thought it was a perfect opportunity to reflect and look ahead at this event that brings together thousands of rowers and fans to the shores of the Charles River in Boston. We’re incredibly honored to talk with D’Arcy MacMahon, one of three original founders of the regatta AND Fred Schoch, whose tenure as regatta executive director stretched 33 years. We’ve paired these two legends together to explore the vision of the founders and the stewardship of that vision over the last six decades.

QUICK LOOK

00:00 - Episode intro and welcome

03:53 - Rowing Week

05:41 - The Huddle

08:22 - Hot Seat Q&A

13:24 - D’Arcy’s fun childhood racing at CBC was the inspiration for HOCR

16:44 - Fred’s youth was dominated by time at the Princeton boathouse where his Dad was coach

19:22 - D’Arcy and Fred are no strangers to racing at HOCR

22:46 - The true life (and death) story of a made up man: Charles Attager

25:14 - D’Arcy is dumbfounded by the longevity and growth of HOCR

30:23 - On carrying the legacy forward

32:30 - Setting the course in 1965 with D’Arcy’s mom’s bike odometer

36:36 - Volunteer spirit of service (starts with a great t-shirt)

39:12 - Support from the MDC, Massachusetts, and corporate sponsors

42:18 - Getting results: taking a cue from golf’s leaderboards

43:39 - HOCR and the community

45:40 - Growing the international field, and considering travel logistics for all crews

50:38 - Best place to watch the races

52:05 - Head of the Charles Charity

52:49 - Spirit of the regatta: fun!

54:24 - Steady State Network news and notes

To see photos of D'Arcy, Fred, and the Head of the Charles, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.

This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Supporters.

Steady State Podcast is hosted and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering, books show guests, and is our sponsor and donor coordinator. Rachel writes our scripts and e-newsletter, and manages the website and social media. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.

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