Bainbridge Island Rowing Master rowers raced to five big wins at the 40th annual Head of the Lake Regatta.

Hosted by the Lake Washington Rowing Club, the Nov. 2 regatta featured 83 rowing clubs for juniors, collegiate, and masters competition on the 5K route running from Lake Union, through Portage Bay and the Montlake Cut, to the finish line in Lake Washington.

Bainbridge Island Rowing entered boats in 14 events, and the Masters teams came home with five medals.

The biggest Bainbridge win was in the parent/child event. Father and son John and Noel Christiansen, both masters, took first place out of six teams in the race, besting second-place Renton by 34 seconds with a 21-minute finish.

The Mixed Masters 4x team also took first, over Delta Deas (Delta, B.C.) and Vashon.

Bainbridge Island Rowing’s Mens Masters 4+ captured second place, coming in 25 seconds behind Seattle’s Ancient Mariners.

Two Bainbridge Masters Teams enjoyed third-place finishes.

The Mixed Masters 8+ finished behind Everett and the Coaches Rowing Association (Vashon). The Women’s Masters 4+ finished behind Mount Baker and Sammamish.

The best Bainbridge junior team finish was in the Boys U17 8+ race. Bainbridge took fourth, after Norcal Crew (Redwood City, California), Capital (Gold River, Calif.), and Thunder Crew (Richmond, B.C.).

The races were head races, meaning the starts were staggered (necessary for an event with so many entries and a narrow course) and teams were racing against the clock. Teams came from all over, as far north as Anchorage, as far south as Davis, California, and as far east as Providence, Rhode Island.

The weather was rowing perfect, cool but calm, and the autumn leaves along the Cut made a beautiful backdrop for the event. Throngs of spectators lined the Montlake Bridge for above-the-race views, the Cut, and the University waterfront.

The day before the 40th annual Head of the Lake Regatta, Bainbridge Island Rowing novice teams hosted the annual BRRR Regatta in Eagle Harbor.