EVERETT — Everett Rowing Association celebrated a start to the new season with the Otter Island Touring Regatta, now in its 30th year, bringing rowing clubs from across the Pacific Northwest, and as far away as California, to Everett. Rowers complete an eight-mile race through the Snohomish River sloughs before returning to Langus Riverfront Park for ERA’s traditional salmon barbecue.
“The Otter Island Touring Regatta has Everett Rowing written all over it and is part of what makes our boathouse so special,” said Everett Rowing Association, Executive Director, Jon Campaña. “Not only do we get great racing in, but we have the opportunity to welcome rowers from across the region to see the beauty of the Snohomish River and share a meal with our team. One of the best features of this race is teams have the opportunity to borrow boats from us and use our coxswains to ‘tour’ them around the river. We lend the boats, carry those boats down to the dock, and then show participants our beautiful racecourse. It’s really incredible.”
Kenmore Community Rowing Club cranked their way to the fastest time at the regatta, winning the event’s “Get Otter Our Way Award”, according to Campaña, who says no ERA boats participated in the September 19 event since it is a fundraiser by the group which blends competition, otter puns, and good food. ERA welcomed 156 rowers representing 13 clubs to Langus Riverfront Park for the regatta.
The following day, ERA joined 26 rowing clubs in Seattle for the annual Pink Ribbon Row, which brings the Puget Sound rowing community together to support local breast cancer education, screenings, treatment and patient services.
Everett Rowing athletes, families and supporters raised $22,260 — the second-highest total among participating clubs. The 2026 initiative has raised nearly $150,000 so far, Campaña says.
ERA entered 12 boats, with youth and adult athletes competing across multiple events. Everett’s junior athletes earned second place in the Women’s Junior 8+ and third place in the Men’s Junior 8+.
“Our annual participation in the Pink Ribbon Row event is something we are especially proud of at ERA” Campaña said. “We firmly believe our sport should have a positive impact, not only on its participants, but on the community around it. The Pink Ribbon Row is one great way we can give back and make that impact scale to even more people. Everett Rowing athletes of all ages, their friends, and family all came together to invest in this initiative and we couldn’t be more proud of how our entire community showed up.”
Since 1999, Pink Ribbon Row has brought together the regional rowing community to support local breast cancer patients and organizations providing screening, treatment and other services.
Together, Campaña says, the two events capped a weekend that fully embodied Everett Rowing’s values of leadership, belonging and excellence. Everett Rowing Association is a nonprofit rowing organization serving youth and adults throughout Snohomish County. ERA’s mission is to use the character-building sport of rowing to create a community of belonging and excellence.
The next event in the fall season for ERA athletes is Tail of the Lake in Seattle on October 4th, then American Lake Fall Classic in Lakewood, Wash. on October 11. Head of the Bull Trout is in Lake Stevens on October 25, Head of the Lake in Seattle on November 1, and final competition is the San Diego Fall Classic in San Diego for select athletes on November 8.
For more information, visit everettrowing.com.