Each weekday evening and Saturday and Sunday all day, newcomers and members of the USRC Rowing Center hop aboard one of the club's three 34-foot seven-place pilot gigs. The crew rows across the serene 1000-acre Clear Lake to dock next to one of the local cafes. The trip takes between 10
and 15 minutes. The dining cruises are without a doubt the best value in outdoor entertainment the area has to offer.

Upon arrival the happy crew disembarks and has an enchanted meal to "fuel up" for the row back. It may sound strenuous but the members say, "it's just plain fun and anyone can do it. We just make it look hard to impress the spectators!"

Pictured above are members of the USRC Rowing Center enjoying one of the club's three pilot gigs. These are replicas of ships used for more than a century to effect rescues of crew members escaping large vessels of commerce foundering in heavy seas such as those encountered in the English Channel. They are lightweight at 450 lbs., yet rugged enough to handle bad weather with ease. Newcomers are always welcome and can become proficient with the 12-foot oars in less than ten minutes. People as old as ten years old and as young as seventy years have been able crew members.

"The most perfect form of exercise there is!"

Sculling is using two oars to row a craft. As a member of the USRC Rowing Center you can take any of the many and varied rowing craft for the best aerobic workout possible. We offer our members a selection of recreational to racing singles as well as doubles and quads.

Sliding seat rowing brings rapid fitness results without the muscle-damaging impact on knees and ankles associated with jogging, running, and such popular court sports as tennis and raquetball.

One of the most dramatic and rapid fitness changes reported by many has been increased stamina and overall body strength. The sport tends to tone muscles rather than build muscle mass. Sculling is seen as an outstanding aerobic activity for improving cardiovascular function.

Movement while rowing is basically two steps: coil, reach and stretch concentrating on arms, legs and torso, followed by a power release during which the legs deliver power into a platform known as a footstretcher. Then, with both arms synchronously pulling the oars through the water, the boat is propelled across the water.

According to Dr. Bob Arnot, CBS TV medical reporter, some 600 muscles come into vigorous play during a sculling experience. Rowing is especially effective for firming ageing triceps, normalizing body weight and lowering resting heart rate.