The best way is to sign up for a free trial row. Click on Join Us! in the menu bar for more information.
What does it cost?
Your trial rows (up to three) are free. After that you need to join OARS. The basic membership cost is $60 a year. Also, you must purchase a row card. The cards are $50 – good for 20 rows. Members keep their cards at the shelter and mark down each row. Membership fees and row card revenue are what keep our club afloat. Click on Join Us for more information.
Are there any requirements?
Anyone 12 or older who can physically handle a 13-foot oar can row with us.
Anyone rowing in an OARS boat must have a Liability Release form on file with the club. You can review/download the form here. The Membership Committee chair helps new members and trial rowers with the paperwork process.
What should I wear?
Personal Flotation Device first and foremost. We have loaners at the shelter. Soft-soled footwear is required. We have to protect our boats. Clothing should be appropriate to the season and rowing conditions. Remember, it’s often cooler on the water. Dress in layered garments capable of withstanding wind, rain and spray. Your cox will stop the boat if you need to shed - or add - a layer. Sunglasses are handy, and many people always wear hats. Gloves are nice in cold weather.
Will I be safe?
Yes. Safety is a top priority. Any time an OARS boat is taken out, it must be under the command of a Master in good standing. Masters have met skill and safety requirements and participate in ongoing training. We are careful. An OARS boat cannot leave the marina if whitecaps are present or wave height exceeds two feet, or if visibility is less than one nautical mile.
Will I get training?
Yes. Masters and experienced rowers are happy to help new members get started. They’ll show you how to get into the boat safely, where to sit, how to adjust the stretchers so your legs are comfortable, how to get your oar in position and much more. As you build your skill, you’ll enjoy the great satisfaction of your crew rowing well together.
How are crews formed? Who decides who rows when?
Our club has established crews that row at regular times each week. Some have been rowing together for decades, others have just been formed. What’s needed is a Master and four other members who can commit to rowing at a certain time. We have open time slots available.
The best way to get on the water is to be on the substitute list. With vacations, etc. crews often have an empty seat and they like to invite the newer members to row with them. Subbing is a good way to meet a lot of people and get involved quickly.
Contact Form
Request a Trial Row!
Trial rows are a great way to see if our rowing experience suits you — and learn what OARS is all about. Trial rows last about an hour, and you can go on up to three trial rows before making a membership decision. Many trial rows are Friday mornings, but they can be arranged any time. To sign up for a trial row, use our Contact form below.
Terms of Use
Date:
Welcome to oarss.org, the website for the Old Anacortes Rowing and Sailing Society (OARS), a member organization in Anacortes, Washington.
Use of this site signifies your agreement with the following Terms of Service. If you do not agree with any of these Terms of Service, please do not use this site. OARS reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to modify these Terms of Service at any time and you agree to be bound by such modifications through your use of this site. OARS may require you to register and provide certain information to it as a condition of using or accessing certain features, functions and content.
Trademarks, Copyrights and Restrictions
All materials on oarss.org, including, but not limited to, images, illustrations, audio clips, video clips (the "Materials") are protected by copyrights that are owned or licensed by OARS. You may not reproduce, perform, create derivative works from, republish, upload, post, transmit, or distribute in any way whatsoever any Materials from oars.org without the prior written permission from OARS.
However, you may download or make copies of the Materials, and other downloadable items displayed on the site, for personal non-commercial, home-use only consistent with the purpose for which the Materials are made available by OARS, provided all copyright and other notices contained in the Materials are left intact.
Any modification of the Materials, or any portion thereof, or use of the Materials for any other purpose constitutes an infringement of OARSS’ copyrights and other proprietary rights. Use of these Materials on any other web site or other networked computer environment, whether by way of copying the Materials or by linking to them, is prohibited without prior written permission from OARS.
Submissions
Copyright on materials contributed by OARS members is held by the individual creators. All postings, messages, text, files, images, graphics, photos, audio clips, sounds, video or other materials (the "Content") posted on, transmitted through, or linked from the Site, are the sole responsibility of the person from whom such Content originated. You are entirely responsible for all Content that you post, email or otherwise make available through the Site. For all Content provided by you, you agree to indemnify Provider as provided below.
By uploading or otherwise posting any Content on the Site, you represent and warrant: (i) you own or otherwise have all necessary rights, including but not limited to copyrights, to the content you provide and the rights to use it as provided in this Terms of Service; (ii) all information you provide is true, accurate, current and complete, and does not violate these Terms of Use; and, (iii) the content will not cause injury to any person or entity.
You agree not to upload, transmit, distribute or otherwise publish on the Site any Materials which are: libelous, defamatory, obscene, abusive, pornographic, threatening, or an invasion of privacy; illegal in any way or which advocate illegal activity; an advertisement or solicitation of funds, goods, or services.
You also agree that under no circumstances will OARSS be liable in any way for any Content or for any loss or damage of any kind incurred as a result of the use of any Content posted, emailed or otherwise made available via the Site.
You acknowledge that OARSS shall have the right (but not the obligation) in its sole discretion to refuse, delete or move any Content that is available via the Site, for violating the letter or spirit of the Terms or for any other reason. The Company reserves the right to delete any posting, message or photograph at any time, for any reason or no reason.
Use of the Site
You will not impersonate any person or entity or misrepresent any affiliation with any person or entity in your use of the Service. You will not delete or revise any material posted by any other person or entity on the Site, unless you have been given the required privileges.
You are solely responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your private user details (username and password). You are responsible for all activities that occur under your password or account.
Termination
OARS may, in its sole discretion, terminate or suspend your access to all or part of the site for any reason, including without limitation, breach of this agreement. In the event this agreement is terminated, the restrictions regarding Materials appearing on the site, and the representations and warranties, indemnities, and limitations of liabilities set forth in this agreement shall survive any such termination.
Links to Third-Party Sites
The Site may contain links to websites operated by third parties. These links do not constitute or imply an endorsement of the linked site. The linked sites may appear to be integrated into the Site, but are not under OARS’ control. OARS is not responsible for the operation or content of any linked site or subsequent links from that site. The policies that govern the use of a linked site will differ from these Terms of Use. You should review the policies of a linked site before making a decision to use that site.
Limitation of Liability
Under no circumstances will OARS or any officer, director, employee, contractor or agent be liable for any damages of any kind or nature whatsoever, whether direct, indirect, punitive, incidental, special, consequential or otherwise that result from the use of, or the inability to use, the site or from any information provided at the Site. This limitation applies whether the alleged liability is based on contract, tort, negligence, strict liability or any other basis, and even if OARS has been advised of the possibility of such damage.
Disclaimer of Warranty
You acknowledge and agree that this Site and the content therein are provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis. OARS does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of any of the content. OARS does nor warrant that the Site, its server or any files available for downloading through the Site are free of computer viruses or other harmful elements. You expressly agree that the entire risk as to the quality and performance of this site and the accuracy and completeness of the content is assumed solely by you.
Privacy
Data protection, privacy and security are important to us, and we shall only use your personal information for specified purposes and shall not keep such personal information longer than is necessary to fulfill these purposes.
You will be asked to input information about yourself. We will not use the information you provide to us for any purpose other than what follows:
Maintaining the OARS Membership Roster and Membership Bios.
Contacting you by electronic or other means regarding OARS news and business.
Jurisdiction
This site is controlled and operated by OARS, in Anacortes, Washington. OARS does not represent or warrant that Materials on the site are appropriate or available for use in other locations. If you choose to access this site from other locations, you do so at your own risk and are responsible for compliance with any and all local laws.
This agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Washington, as it is applied to agreements entered into and performed within that State. Any action brought to enforce this agreement or matters related to the site shall be brought in either the State or Federal Courts of Washington. If any provision of this agreement is deemed void, unlawful or otherwise unenforceable for any reason, that provision shall be severed from this agreement and the remaining provisions of this agreement shall remain in force.
Explanation of Roster Export Formats
Clicking on of the roster export buttons will create a roster file in one of the following common formats. Depending on how your browser is configured, that file will either be opened for viewing in a new browser window, or saved as a local file (check for it in your Downloads folder, for example). Here's a guide to the available file formats.
XLSX
This generates an Excel spreadsheet file.
PDF
This generates an Adobe PDF (Portable Document Format) file.
CSV
This generates a delimited text file of comma-separated values (CSV).
Rowing Eligibility
This member is not currently eligible to row. Eligibility requirements include:
Must be an Active member
Must have a membership type that includes rowing privileges
Must have an executed Release of Liability form on file
Join and Copy Email Addresses to Clipboard
Do you want to easily copy and paste all these email addresses into your email app, all in one go? Use one of these buttons to do it.
But first, a small wrinkle: different email apps have different requirements for separating email addresses in the To: field. So it can matter which button you use to join and copy these email addresses.
Most email apps (like Apple Mail or Gmail) accept a comma to separate email addresses, like this:
email1@example.com,email2@example.com
If you're unsure which button to use, try using commas first.
Some email apps (like Microsoft Outlook) require a semicolon to separate email addresses, like this:
email1@example.com;email2@example.com
So, just use the button that's appropriate for your email app to join and copy these email addresses to your clipboard, and then paste the result into your email app's To: field.
Experience the 2024 Small Boat Messabout and Trestle Row! Saturday April 20
2024 Small Boat Messabout and Fidalgo Bay Trestle Row
April 20 is the day to come on down to Seafarers' Memorial Park in Anacortes WA to check out and participate in two great small boat events!
First up: at 10 AM, the gun sounds for the start of the Fidalgo Bay Trestle Row. It's a 4-mile Level 2 race for Classics, SUPs, Singles, Doubles, Quads, and Kayaks on South Fidalgo Bay. Not racing? Come early and watch the racers get ready and head out. Park in the ESD lot. Follow the signs. Download the Race's information packet to learn more.
Meanwhile and continuing after the Race: the Anacortes Small Boat Messabout runs 11 AM to 3 PM. Small boat enthusiasts can show off their own non-motorized craft and everyone can mingle and connect with our small boat community - and/or row with a skilled crew in a traditional gig or wherry. Download the Messabout's information packet to learn more. (Liability Release form included if you plan to row with OARS.)
Either way or both ways, you're sure to have a great time on Anacortes' waterfront. Besides OARS, here's some other local small-boat-friendly links to explore:
Pro tip: consider sticking around later in the day for Anacortes' downtown Earth Day celebration from 4-9 PM! Planned events include two parades (Procession of the Species 5 PM and Luminary 8 PM) and street activities to celebrate Planet Earth. More details can be found here.
