VIRC’s Facilities
Our Boathouse is located on Jensen Point, in Quartermaster Harbor. The first phase of the Boathouse was built in 2000 in partnership with the Vashon Park District and King County Parks & Recreation.
A second phase in 2015 completed its 2,500-square foot footprint, which we share with the kayak and paddle-board rental operations of Vashon Adventures.
Our Indoor Training Center (ITC) is a 600-square foot space located on SW 210th Street, at Sunrise Ridge, three miles north of the Boathouse. It includes a variety of weight-training equipment, most of our rowing machines (ergs), and shower facilities. We train here when the weather or available daylight make it unsafe to be on the water.
We maintain a 2,000-meter buoyed course on Quartermaster Harbor, which helps us train for the standard sprint racing distances of 1,000 meters for Masters and 2,000 meters for Juniors. The counter-clockwise traffic pattern helps our coaches keep track of multiple boats rowing at different speeds.
On calm days we have the option of rowing out to the Manzanita Buoy the mouth of Quartermaster Harbor, about 6,000 meters from the Boathouse; our reward is often a spectacular view of Mt. Rainier. When there is a breeze, we can usually find flat water on one side of the Peninsula or the other.
Visiting rowers and coaches marvel at the low amount of boat traffic—and wakes—in our venue compared with most urban rowing settings.
We use our trailer to transport our boats, oars and other equipment to regattas.
“Each rowing stroke is like a new day — a chance to let go of the past and start fresh, to focus on the fundamentals, to be relaxed and effective, to move toward an ideal.”