Courtesy of Michele Stapleton

On October 3, students, coaches, alumni, administrators and community members gathered to celebrate the official opening of the Steinwachs Family Boathouse on the New Meadows River. The new boathouse sits on the site of the former Smith Boathouse, which was dedicated exactly 23 years before.

The new boathouse houses a bigger fleet and larger boats, reflecting the team’s growth in the last decade. The previous boathouse could house ten four-person shells, but as the team’s use of eight-person shells for competitiveness and safety increased, it could not support such a shift. In addition to storage, the new boathouse features a shower for warming in the event of a capsize, heating, a team area and indoor restrooms—much to the team’s delight.

“The building behind me has flushing toilets. It stores all of our rowing shells and even has heat, and from a layout and use perspective, is one of the most functional boathouses in the NESCAC. It supports a team of 80-plus student athletes that arrive at approximately 5:45 a.m. throughout the fall and spring seasons,” Head Coach Doug Welling said.

In his time as head coach, Welling guided the women’s team to the national championships in 2023 and 2025, which Jeff Steinwachs P’25 considered to be a turning point for the team. It also marks when the Steinwachs pledged their support for the boathouse.

“The team had just made their second appearance at the [American Collegiate Rowing Association] National Championship, and it had just won both the women’s varsity eight and the women’s overall points trophy. The team was definitely at an inflection point, but there [was] a problem—besides the fact they didn’t have bathrooms—the boat, the championship-winning boat, couldn’t fit in the beloved Smith Boathouse,” Jeff Steinwachs said. “Hoping to take advantage of that momentum, we pledged our support.”

President Safa Zaki opened the dedication with a speech that discussed the evolution of the team by highlighting key individuals who allowed the rowing program to flourish. Zaki noted that while the new space offers many amenities for the team, it also represents the values of the College that the team embodies each day.

“With this gift, the Steinwachs have not only provided a physical space for training and competition, but also a home where stories will be written, friendships forged and traditions carried forward,” Zaki said. “This is not only the start of a new chapter, but also a celebration of a spirit deeply rooted in Bowdoin’s history—the spirit of teamwork, perseverance and community that has carried this college forward for more than two centuries.”

Welling, who has been head coach since 2018, discussed the storied history of the rowing program.

“Bowdoin was one of the first six colleges in the United States to have competitive rowing. Founded in 1858, class year competition dominated this early era with spurts of intercollegiate races,” Welling said. “The team’s early years were on the Androscoggin River, first occupying a former ice house for boat storage, and then later constructing a new boathouse for an estimated cost of $800 in 1879.”

Welling described key figures in the rowing program’s legacy, including famed captains like Frank Whittier from 1884 to 1885 and Arctic explorer Robert E. Peary in 1887. The last record of competition in the 19th century was in 1890, four years before pollution on the Androscoggin River and the growing popularity of baseball over rowing dismantled the team in 1894.

It wasn’t until 1986 that the program resurfaced, when the regional Maine Coast Rowing Club, formerly known as the Merrymeeting Rowing Club, reached out to the College to host a team and provided equipment on the Androscoggin. Since then, the team transitioned from practicing on the Androscoggin to the New Meadows River, where the new boathouse resides.

Welling also acknowledged the support of the coaches and rowers that have made the rowing program what it is today.

“One thing you learn in the sport of rowing is the concept of team. The lesson is taught over and over and over again. Strong individuals alone are not capable of making a boat go fast. Your goals as an individual are not possible until they become team goals,” Welling said. “Every single person here is making boats go fast. Every single person has contributed to Bowdoin Rowing, to the effort, to the energy, to the success and to this building that’s behind me.”

Abby Steinwachs ’25 echoed this sentiment and reflected on what the new boathouse means to her as an alumnus of the Bowdoin Rowing program.

“My best friends were on this team, and helping build that community was such an important part of my time at Bowdoin,” Steinwachs said. “What’s really special to me is being able to be here and do this for the program that’s given so much to me.”