Stories

1964: A Motley Crew's Olympic Quest John B. Kelly Jr. had a dream. For 60 years, only college crews had represented the United States at the Olympics in the eight-oared boat. Why couldn’t the Vesper Boat Club trounce those kids and be the ones to go to Tokyo for the 1964 Olympics?

A Brief (Early) History of Malta The Club was founded as the Malta Barge Club on February 22,1860 by members of the Minnehaha Lodge of the Sons of Malta. The Club initially used a house on Smith’s Island in the Delaware River off Chestnut Street. There the Club kept its first boat; a six oared barge called the Minnehaha.

Lightweight Rowing at Malta Malta Boat Club has existed competitively since 1860. One part of its heritage has been the sponsorship of a consistently high level of lightweight rowers.

New York Institute For the Blind - Malta Connection In the searching of Malta’s archives, a curious item appeared in our minutes relating to the donation of an eight to the New York School for the Blind.

Vesper’s Building History Parts of the Vesper Boat Club’s existing boathouse have survived through the many renovations and additions made since 1872 when the first two-bay masonry structure, shared with Malta, was built.

Vesper’s Racing History The Vesper Boat Club had its beginning on Feb. 22, 1865– a decade into the flourishing of rowing clubs on Philadelphia’s Schuylkill River– with the founding of the Washington Barge Club. Five years later, on Jan 1, 1870, it changed its name to Vesper Boat Club and quickly became one of the most celebrated rowing clubs in the United States and the world. It has always been central to the Philadelphia rowing story.

Bachelors Barge Club and the rise of Philadelphia scholastic rowing Bachelors Barge Club played a central role in Philadelphia high school rowing from the sport’s earliest organized years, including the 1897 founding of the Interscholastic Association of Oarsmen; the 1927 Stotesbury Regatta; the Scholastic Rowing Association of America; along with support for public, private, and girls’ high school rowing programs; and innovative learn-to-row and competitive youth programs.

The Stotesbury Regatta The Stotesbury Cup Regatta is the oldest and largest high school rowing competition in the world, held annually on Philadelphia's Schuylkill River. It attracts over 5,000 student athletes from the U.S., Canada, and other countries.