The Humboldt Bay Rowing Association, now in its 25th year of existence, offers people of varying ages a chance to participate in recreational rowing on Humboldt Bay.

This nonprofit organization encourages everyone to join, and any community resident can get lessons from a club member on Humboldt Bay for a small fee.

The club is split into two sections: a junior team for 13- to 18-year-olds, and a masters team for people 27 and older. The junior team has been around for four years.

And recently, the club competed in the Head of the American Regatta in Sacramento, a three-mile race on Lake Natoma. The club’s beginner quad, a four-person sculling boat, took second place in the race.

From California to Oregon, this is one of the competitions HBRA members take part in during the year.

Head coach Adrienne McConnell said the team is supported by people in the community.

“We’ve had thousands of dollars in equipment donated by members of the community, and we’ve gotten some grants from the Humboldt Area Foundation, specifically for our juniors program and youth recreation on Humboldt Bay,” McConnell said.

McConnell said rowing for the youth members can help them gain scholarships and admission to college. Boys and girls who were in the club and graduated from high school have all gone on to a college or university afterward, she added.

“Rowing opened a lot of doors for me, and I want to share that with the kids. It’s a dream come true to be able to make that happen,” McConnell said.

When it comes to the masters group, McConnell said it’s less about competition for those members and more about camaraderie and fitness.

“They become more physically confident once they turn into athletes in the club, and it’s fantastic to watch,” McConnell said.

Rowing is something someone can start as a child and do for most of their life because it’s nonimpact exercise and therefore will put less stress on joints and other parts of the body than other sports might, McConnell said.

The club’s next race is at Foster City and is sponsored by the Stanford Junior Crew. There will be events such as the master women’s eight-oared crew and the long-distance head race.

This will be the club’s last race until the sprint season begins in March.

To find out more, go to www.hbra.org/, or phone 707-845-0686 to speak to head coach McConnell about the club.