Crescent Boat Club coaches rowing programs in Philadelphia from #5 Boathouse Row and hosts two resident crews in the same building. Whether you have never held an oar or you are racing at the Royal Canadian Henley, this page is the starting point. Crescent was organized in 1867 and has been a member of the Schuylkill Navy of Philadelphia since 1868.
On this page: Summer Programs · A Season on the Schuylkill · Your First Season · Crews That Row from Crescent · Adult Rowing and Membership · Registration and Safety · Common Questions · Contact
Never rowed before
Learn to scull from the beginning in the summer Novice Program, open to teens and adults.
Youth Rowing
Racing this summer
Junior and under-23 sculling, training six days a week through the regatta season.
Program details and fees
Rowing as an adult
Join a member-run club, row year-round, and store your own shell at the boathouse.
Membership
A school or college crew
Two resident crews train from the boathouse. Tenancy inquiries go to the club officers.
Crews that row from Crescent
Rowing Programs in Philadelphia at #5 Boathouse Row
Each summer the club coaches four sculling programs from its own boathouse, running from first strokes through international-level junior racing. Unlike most rowing programs in Philadelphia, all four are sculling programs, taught from a club that owns its own water frontage. Every program rows on the Schuylkill River and is led by Crescent’s coaching staff, which is appointed for each season and introduced to athletes and families at registration. The table below is the short version. Full descriptions, session times, fees, and the season calendar are kept on the Youth Rowing page so that everything needed to register sits together in one place.
| Program | Who it is for | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Novice | Teens and adults who have never rowed | Boat handling, rowing as a crew, and safely taking a single onto the river |
| Sculling Development | High school rowers past the novice stage | Technique work before returning to a school program |
| Junior Racing | Junior A (under 19) and Junior B (under 17) | Training and racing through the summer regatta season |
| U23 High Performance | Athletes at the top junior and under-23 level | Six-day training weeks aimed at championship racing |
See program details, fees, and the season calendar →
A Season on the Schuylkill
Crescent’s summer sculling runs through the warm months, with most crews on the water early, before the river fills and the heat builds. The Schuylkill is among the best rowing rivers in the country: sheltered, straight, and carrying a marked 2,000-meter racing course that every major regatta in the city uses. Athletes point toward a fixed set of fixtures all summer, from the club and city regattas rowed within sight of the boathouse to the Independence Day Regatta, and, for the fastest crews, the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta in St. Catharines, Ontario. Rowing from a Boathouse Row club means racing where the sport in America largely began, a short walk from the finish line, rather than traveling to a course you first see on race day. Among rowing programs in Philadelphia, that proximity is the particular advantage of the Row.
The boathouse is a hundred yards from the starting line. Almost nobody in the sport gets to say that.
Crescent Boat Club, #5 Boathouse Row, since 1867
Your First Season
Nobody steps into a racing single on the first day. New scullers begin in stable training boats and learn the unglamorous parts first: how to carry a shell without damaging it, how to launch off a dock, how to sit level, how to feather and square the blades, and how the Rules of the River work on a waterway shared with fifteen clubs. Progress is coached and steady. As balance and boat handling improve, rowers move into finer boats, and those who want to race move into crew boats and the regatta schedule.
Learning at a member-run club on the Row is different from learning in a school program, and it is what separates Crescent from most rowing programs in Philadelphia. Groups are small, coaching is technique-first rather than seat-race driven, and athletes are around club members who have rowed the same water for decades. The club’s founding ideals — good sportsmanship, civic fellowship, and hospitality — are not decoration; they are the reason a summer novice and a masters single sculler end up on the same dock at the same hour.
What the club provides, and what you bring
- Crescent provides – Boats and oars, on-water coaching, launch supervision, ergs, and the boathouse itself, including changing space and restrooms.
- You bring – Close-fitting athletic clothing that will not catch in the slide, a water bottle, sunscreen, a hat, and shoes you can leave on the dock. Racing programs also require the club racing uniform.
- Before the first practice – Every athlete completes registration through RegattaCentral and reads the club’s By-laws, Rules & Safety page, which covers the Rules of the River, swim requirements, and USRowing safety policy.
Crews That Row from Crescent
Alongside its own rowing programs in Philadelphia, the club hosts one collegiate and one scholastic crew in the boathouse. Each keeps its own schedule, roster, and recruiting information on its own site. Crescent provides the house, the bays, and the dock.
- Thomas Jefferson University Women’s Rowing – Crescent’s collegiate crew and, since July 2021, the sole collegiate tenant of the boathouse.
- Harriton High School Crew – Crescent’s scholastic crew, training and racing from the boathouse through the spring season.
Scholastic and collegiate rowing has run through this building for generations. The History page covers the schools that have rowed from #5 and the athletes who came through them.
Adult Rowing and Membership
Crescent is run by its members, and its adult rowing programs in Philadelphia run year-round rather than for a single summer session. Membership suits anyone committed to the club’s founding ideals, at every level from novice to masters — adults learning to scull, rowers returning to the sport after college, and masters athletes looking for a competitive home. Members may store a personal shell at the boathouse for a per-seat fee. If you are new to the sport, the summer Novice Program is the simplest way to try coached rowing before committing to membership.
See membership categories and how to join →
Registration and Safety
Applications, payments, and renewals for all of Crescent’s rowing programs in Philadelphia are handled through RegattaCentral.
- Crescent Boat Club on RegattaCentral – Program applications, payments, and renewals.
- By-laws, Rules & Safety – Required reading for members and youth athletes before going on the water.
- Calendar of Events – Club dates, meetings, and regattas.
- Schuylkill River Conditions & Rowing Links – River level, flow, water quality, and the governing bodies that set the rules.
Common Questions
Joining a Program
Do I need experience to join a rowing program?
No. The summer Novice Program is built for people who have never rowed, and adults may join it for coached instruction. You will learn boat handling and sculling from the beginning in stable training boats.
Do I need my own boat?
No. Crescent provides boats and oars for its programs. Members who own a shell may store it at the boathouse for a per-seat fee.
Who coaches the programs?
Crescent’s programs are coached by the club’s own staff. Coaching assignments are set for each season and confirmed to athletes and families at registration.
How do I register and pay?
Through RegattaCentral, which handles program applications, payments, and membership renewals for the club.
Programs, Crews, and the Boathouse
What is the difference between this page and the Youth Rowing page?
This page is the overview of Crescent’s rowing programs in Philadelphia, including the resident crews and adult membership. The Youth Rowing page carries the full detail for the summer sculling programs: descriptions, session times, fees, and the season calendar.
Can I row at Crescent as an adult?
Yes. Adult members row year-round, from novices learning to scull through competitive masters. See the Membership page to join.
Can my school or college crew row from Crescent?
The boathouse currently hosts two resident crews and tenancy is limited by the size of the building. Inquiries should go to board@crescentboatclub.org.
Can I come and watch a regatta?
Yes. Racing on the Schuylkill is free to watch from the east bank along Kelly Drive and from the west bank across the river. The Visiting Boathouse Row page covers where to stand, parking, and transit.
Contact
Crescent is run by its members rather than by full-time staff, and the club has no staffed telephone line. Email reaches the right person fastest.
- Programs, coaching, and club business – board@crescentboatclub.org · Club Officers and Officials
- Event space and media – rentals@crescentboatclub.org · Event Space Rentals
Crescent Boat Club has rowed from #5 Boathouse Row since 1867 and has been a member club of the Schuylkill Navy of Philadelphia, the oldest amateur athletic governing body in the United States, since 1868. Club history · Youth Rowing · Membership · Information · Rowing links