2012 Head of the Charles Coming this Weekend

The Head of the Charles rowing regatta is coming this weekend, which means 9,000 competitors and about 300,000 spectators will be in and around the Charles River in Cambridge and Brighton.

Started in 1965, the race attracts racers in high school and college, all the way to rowers in their 60s and 70s. The course follows the curves of the Charles River for about 3 miles from the Boston University Boathouse, past Harvard University and ending at Herter Park in Brighton. The boats must navigate under five bridges along the way.

Newton native Gevvie Stone, who competed in the 2012 London Summer Olympics, will be one of the rowers in this weekend's Head of the Charles. 

Stone competed in the women's single sculls event this summer and finished seventh overall. 

This weekend, Stone will race in the women's championship singles (4:23 p.m. on Saturday) and the women's championship eights (3:08 p.m. on Sunday), according to Stone's Twitter feed. 

Racing begins at 8 a.m. on both Saturday and Sunday and runs until about 5 p.m. both days. For more information see the Head of the Charles website.

Traffic Impacted

Even those not going to watch, or row, in the regatta could be impacted by the race.

Memorial Drive in Cambridge will be closed from the Cambridge Boat Club to Western Avenue on Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. 

Traffic on Nonantum Road, which turns into Soldiers Field Road and then Storrow Drive in Brighton, will also be impacted during the race.

Parking is limited, and one of the main lots is at Artesani Park, in Brighton, across the river from Watertown. 

Those interested in getting around can use one of the two shuttles:

Course Shuttle

Saturday & Sunday, October 20 & 21 – 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Buses come roughly every 15 minutes

Stop 1 Finish Area Launch Site – Lot 4, Artesani Park

Stop 2 Riverside Boat Club – Singles and Doubles Launch/Magazine Beach

Stop 3 Reunion Village – Between Weeks and Lars Anderson bridges – Boston Side

Last bus departs this stop at 4:30 p.m.

Stop 4 Cambridge Boat Club

Birmingham Parkway Shuttle

Saturday & Sunday, October 20 & 21 – 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Stop A Finish Area Launch Site – Everett Street, across from Artesani Park

Stop B Birmingham Parkway – East, near WBZ

Stop C Birmingham Parkway – West, near McDonald’s

Where to Watch

The race course runs three miles upstream from the Boston University Boathouse to Christian Herter Park. 

Most spectators find a place to watch between the Anderson and Weeks bridges, along the halfway point of the race. 

There are more than 50 races taking place throughout the weekend, with events happening from 8 a.m. through 5 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. You can see the full schedule here. 

If you're looking for food and drink, you can check out the regatta's Reunion Village for $5/person. Inside you'll find beer, wine and food from Boston Burger Company.