The Palm Beach Rowing Association or PBRA is considered to be among the best rowing sites in South Florida with Fresh water Lake Mangonia in West Palm Beach. As Peter A Derow says, the PBRA provides save rowing conditions for rowers of varying types, starting from beginners and recreational scullers to even elite rowers. The Palm Beach Rowing Association has a straight 2000 meters course across the lake, along with a 5k ‘head course’ around the perimeter.
Peter A Derow offers an overview of the Palm Beach Rowing Association (PBRA)
Palm Beach Rowing Association (PBRA) is a not-for-profit organization with 501(c)(3) tax exempt status. It was founded way back in 1978 by a group of has-been college rowers. In the initial days, the club stored its equipment outside until 1985, when the Town of Palm Beach paid money to settle the shirtless jogger litigation. This provided the PBRA money to build the current boathouse which is located on North Australian Avenue. Over the years, the membership of this club has steadily increased. Among other things, the PBRA attracts members with its indoor storage and shower facility.
Today the Palm Beach Rowing Association magnetizes rowers from as far away as Jupiter and Delray Beach, and serves resident and non-resident members (“snowbirds”). Its proximity to I-95 particularly makes the club highly accessible. From 1984, the Palm Beach Rowing Association also attracted a group of non-residents, world-class rowers who had raced and won together at regattas across the world. Today the PBRA enters a number of regattas, starting from the United States Masters Nationals and FISA World Masters to the Head of the Charles. One can find medals lining the walls of the boathouse.
As Peter A Derow mentions, Palm Beach Rowing Association is governed by a volunteer board. Every year the club undertakes the initiative to improve its facility and equipment for the benefit of the members. Two new Fluid singles and a Fluid double have been added to the club fleet in recent years. While the participation by junior members was always encouraged by the PBRA, until recently it was constrained from creating a junior program due to certain factors. These factors included the lack of availability of space electric launches. As Lake Mangonia is part of the West Palm Beach reservoir system, only electric boats tend to be allowed on the water. Over the last decade, manufacturers have developed launches with battery power that can support more than two hours of use without having to be recharged. These launches are budget-friendly enough for the PBRA.
With the consistently increasing popularity of rowing, as well as the accelerating development of West Palm Beach subsequent to the COVID-19 pandemic, PBRA has enjoyed increased membership. It eventually outgrew its current “one bay” boathouse. Thankfully, at the same time, Urban Youth Impact an organization close to the PBRA, expressed an interest in creating a rowing program for the disadvantaged youth in the West Palm Beach. This program shall be similar to the long-standing program at RowNewYork, which has successfully served New York City youth.
