You’re an experienced rower? You’ve never been in a shell? Whatever your experience level, there’s a place for you in the Sequim Bay Yacht Club sculling program.

Established in 2016, the club now offers morning workouts in quad and double shells and opportunities for both recreation and competition. Learn-to-row sessions introduce novices to the sport, and informal mentoring familiarizes those who have rowed elsewhere, whether sweep or sculling, with Sequim Bay and the club’s boats. If you’ve rowed before—in junior, college, or masters programs—or if you’ve erged thousands of meters in the gym, you know that rowing is one of the best aerobic, total-body exercises, no matter what your current fitness level. For those who have never picked up an oar, join the Sequim Bay crew for whatever your schedule permits—every morning, once a week, a couple of times a month. You’ll see how easy it is to burn calories, develop cardiovascular health, and tone all your major muscle groups. And, of course, you’ll make new friends, have fun, and enjoy the beauty of Pacific Northwest waters. Our adult crew goes out almost every day of the year, weather permitting. Sessions are about 90 minutes long, including launching boats, a row of about 8,000 meters, and returning boats to the dock. Rowers share responsibilities as coxswain and chase boat operator. Sequim Bay is protected by Travis Spit so the water is often mirror-smooth. Weather conditions are watched carefully and safety is emphasized. Club boats are always accompanied by a chase boat run by an experienced boater with a radio to communicate with each boat. Rowers wear personal flotation devices and take float tests at a local pool prior to starting rowing with the club. The rowing program began in 2016 after Dennis Miller and the late John Halberg, Olympic Peninsula Rowing Association founder and former University of Washington rower, had spent about a year determining how rowing could be started in Sequim. Halberg agreed to provide a quad shell, and Miller worked with that era’s yacht club commodores Jean Heessels-Petit and Durkee Richards to coordinate club sponsorship of the program. Initiated with about a dozen beginners, the sculling group grew within three years to more than two dozen master rowers ranging in age from 20 to 75. For rowers who enjoy competition, club members are pursuing opportunities for training and participating at more than the recreational intensity level. In 2018, club-sanctioned events will include rowing competition at the Reach for Hospice fundraiser. Established the same year that the family of actor John Wayne donated 22 acres at Pitship Point for a marina, the Sequim Bay Yacht Club has for more than 40 years organized boating programs that today include rowing, sailing, cruising and educational and social events. Boat ownership is not a requirement for membership. More information about all yacht club programs and membership is on the club Facebook page and at <sequimbayyachtclub.org.