Thank you for all your help during the 2025 Head of the Charles Regatta. We hope to see you again in 2026!
We’re looking forward to you joining us on race weekend: Friday, October 17 to Sunday, October 19, 2025.
Thank you for volunteering your time to work as part of our team, and the 2,350 other volunteers at this year’s regatta, providing the 10,000+ competitors and more than 2,600 boats with a safe and enjoyable experience!
River Control is a critical component to the success and safety of the regatta. We operate all day Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and are responsible for controlling and closing the river each day.
You will be in a position either on land or in a launch, where you will be in direct contact with the numerous competitors on the river, providing instructions to keep traffic flowing.
River Control is the eyes and ears running the regatta on the water. Specifically, we:
Manage the travel lane from the finish to the start with the objective of keeping traffic moving;
Manage the warm-up area in the basin to keep boats circulating;
Are critical to ensure races start on time; and
Handle river crossings at SADL (Singles and Doubles Launch area), Riverside B.C., Weld Boathouse, Newell Boathouse, Cambridge B.C. and Belmont Hill/Winsor Boathouse.
We will provide you with coffee, breakfast foods and lunch before you hit the water. Please pack any snacks you may want, as well as extra water. The Regatta has been going sustainable for a number of years, so bring your own water bottle to refill! There will be water stations along the Regatta course.
Please dress warmly with layers as all of our shifts are outside, the weather* in New England in the fall is variable and changeable, and, given the continuous event schedule, it is difficult to provide breaks.
Please review this website thoroughly before race weekend and check back regularly for updates, as it will take you through all of the operations for Regatta weekend.
Please arrive promptly to MIT’s Pierce Boathouse (406 Memorial Drive, Cambridge, MA 02139) before your shift starts. All River Control operations launch from there.
Bring a good attitude and get ready to have some fun and be an Ambassador for the HOCR!
* The current weather forecast is for mostly clear skies with temperatures rising from the 40s°F (high single-digits °C) in the morning to the 60s°F (high teens °C) by the afternoon and relatively light winds from the north on Friday and Saturday then veering from the south on Sunday.
After reviewing the information on this website, please also be sure to check our frequently asked questions and don’t hesitate to contact us if you require any further information.