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Driving Directions to the Regattas
TC Crew competes in regattas up and down the east coast, and even
into Canada. Always allow yourself plenty of time to get to a
regatta. Traffic is heavy on weekends, and you don't want to
arrive at the race course after your son or daughter's race.
Car pooling is always a good idea
Click here for a printable copy.
Alexandria
Races on our part of the Potomac launch from the
Dee Campbell Rowing Center. That's also a good spot to view
the race, because the finish line is at the Boathouse.
St. Andrew's School
St. Andrew's, in Middletown, Delaware, is a picturesque place to spend
an afternoon, sitting on the bank of Noxontown Pond watching a regatta.
Some parts of The Dead Poets Society were filmed at the school,
which you'll see on the other side of the pond.
 Directions:
From Alexandria, get to US route 50 east, toward Annapolis.
Cross the Chesapeake on the Bay Bridge and follow Route 301 North for an
hour to Middletown, DE. Not long after you cross the state line
into Delaware you will come to Middletown. A half-mile past the 301
Truck Stop (on the left) you will come to a WaWa gas station/convenience
store on the right. Exit to the right on 299 east, which will take you
right through town. At the fourth light, take a right onto Silver
Lake Road (you will pass a small shopping strip on your left and on the
right will be a sign for St. Andrews School). Follow the road to a
stop sign across from the entrance to the school. Do not enter the
school grounds, but turn left. Cross the bridge over Noxontown
Pond (you will see the race course on your right)and turn into the
second entrance to the fenced field on your right. Follow the dirt
road along the pond. Keep an eye out for the TC Crew boosters blue
and white striped tent and park where you can.
Travel Time: approx. 2 hours & 15 minutes
Race Course:
• Lane 6 is closest to the visiting crews’ launching area and lane 1 is
closest to the St. Andrew’s campus. The race goes from left to right,
with the boats coming in sight for the last half of the race.
Here's a link to the St.
Andrew's School website.
Georgetown
The Georgetown waterfront is the home of nearly 20 high school and college
crews,
centered on Thompson Boat Center.
Directions: Thompson's is located a
short walk from the Kennedy Center and Watergate, and the Foggy Bottom/GWU
Metro station. The parking lot
is at the end of Virginia Avenue, across the Rock Creek Parkway, but for
most regattas it will be reserved for boat trailers. To drive there,
travel Virginia Avenue to the end at Rock Creek Parkway. Park
anywhere you can find a spot in the Watergate neighborhood or in
Georgetown under the Whitehurst Freeway across from the Washington Harbour center. There is a short road that leads from there to
Thompson's boathouse. Spectators can view from the boathouse or
the esplanade and park just west of the boathouse.
Race course: Most boats launch
from Thompson's dock, and the race course begins upriver from Key
Bridge. The course is farther from shore than at some other
venues - in fact, the closest viewing is from the shore of Roosevelt
Island. This part of the river is accustomed to recreational and
commercial boating and it is not unusual for motorized craft and the
occasional kayaker to venture
onto the race course.
There are more details on the
Thompson Boat
Center website.
Occoquan
Sandy Run Park, on the Occoquan Reservoir in Fairfax, is home to most of
the crews in Northern Virginia, and the site of the NCASRA championship
events. Sandy Run is a pretty area with good facilities, run by the
Northern Virginia Regional Parks Authority. But the finish line is
quite a distance from the parking areas, and you need to be prepared for
a lengthy hike once you get there.
Directions: Take I-395 South to I-95.
Continue south about 15 miles. Just after crossing the Occoquan River
take Exit 160 (Route 123 North - Occoquan/Lakeridge) and proceed on Rt
123 approximately 3 miles to Hampton Road. Turn left at the light onto
Hampton Road and go approximately 1 mile to Van Thompson Road and turn
left. Follow Van Thompson to parking lots.
Travel time: approx. 25 minutes (See note above)
TIP #1: You'll have to pay for parking. For 2008, the Park
Authority said they were going to increase fees to encourage carpooling.
That idea may be on hold for now, but we'll let you know. Expect
to pay at least $10 per car. Have
the money ready for the attendants on Van Thompson Road. There are two lots close
to the launch site, and another
almost a mile back up the road at the intersection of Van Thompson and
Hampton Roads. Shuttle bus service (free) is
provided from the Van Thompson lot beginning at 9:00 am.
For the VSRC on May 10, the on-site parking lots are expected to fill
by 9:30 a.m., and there
will be satellite parking off site. After exiting I-95 onto
Rt. 123, turn left onto Old Bridge Road and park in the commuter lot.
See the map. Shuttle buses will run all day. There is a charge for
the bus, but the fare includes a one-way chit for the van to the
grandstand area.
Share a ride to Sandy Run. If
everyone car pooled, parking would be less of a challenge. For any
updates on parking, go to the NCASRA Web site.
TIP #2: Even the closest parking lot is distant from the grandstand
area, which is near the finish line and is the only place to watch the
race. You get there by walking the well-marked, hilly path through the
woods or by waiting in line for the van, which will take you to the
grandstand area for a nominal fee.
TIP #3: Wear comfortable shoes. The trails can be rocky, both from the
parking lot to the park, and from the park to the grandstand (if you
don't take the shuttles).
TIP #4: Always plan to arrive well ahead of the races you want to watch,
allowing plenty of time to get from the lots to the park and grandstand
area.
Philadelphia
You’re on your way to the best venue on the TC Crew schedule.
It is the home of the Schuylkill Navy and picturesque Boathouse Row. If
you know how to get to Philly you can skip some of the next stuff and
just take your usual route.
Directions: Take the Baltimore-Washington Parkway north from
Washington. Once you get into Baltimore, take the exit for I-95
north. Go through the Ft. McHenry Tunnel, and head north to
Philadelphia on I-95.
It will take about 90 minutes to get to the Maryland House rest area
from Alexandria. Keep heading north until you see a sign for I-95 to
Wilmington and Philadelphia, staying in the left lanes as the highway
splits. (If you go to the right you’ll end up at the Delaware Memorial
Bridge, which is all right if a weekend in the Garden State is what you
want.) Still on I-95, in the neighborhood of the Philadelphia
International Airport follow signs for I-76 West. Watch for a left hand
turn at a light on to I-76 West. Eventually you’ll be on an expressway
along the Schuylkill River. Take the Girard Avenue/Zoo exit. At the end
of the exit turn right onto Girard Avenue and cross the bridge over the
river.
At the end of the bridge, take a right turn onto Sedgely and drive down
through the park. You’ll come a statue on a traffic island. Bear right
onto Kelly Drive and you’ll move past the boathouses of Philadelphia’s
famous Boathouse Row. Follow the drive along the river and you’ll
eventually be directed by Philadelphia police to detour to the right and
up to where parking is provided. There will be a charge for parking. The
police or attendants can direct you to the path to the regatta site,
which is a bit of a walk. Look for the red TC Crew trailer parked next
to our tent, which is usually situated in the treeless area roughly
half-way along the course.
Race Course: Lane 1 is closest to the Kelly Drive Shore.
TIP: Parking immediately at the regatta site is for pass-holders only.
Those who have passes have to enter the regatta site from the opposite
end of the drive. Putting aside the issue of parking, one of the best
things about the Stotesbury Cup is the location. It is a lovely open
park all along the race course. Unlike most regatta sites you can follow
practically the entire race from the river bank. Some folks bring
bicycles and in-line skates since you can do a lot of walking from the
launch area near the vendor tents to the finish line where there is a
large, partly roofed grandstand.
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