Mercer Island Rowing Club

Mercer Island Rowing Club is a new club bringing rowing to Mercer Island on Lake Washington. It is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit, EIN 99-1052037, and is running its first programmes now.

The club has approval from Mercer Island Parks and Recreation to operate a summer rowing programme from the swim beach at Luther Burbank Park while it works towards a permanent home on the island. Its pilot programme for adults and juniors runs through August, and the club is open that this is a first step rather than a finished setup.

Programmes so far are an inaugural Learn to Row course and a free community rowing class for adults, run from the Luther Burbank swim beach in early-morning sessions.

The club points to a longer-standing local case for rowing on the island. The 2006 Luther Burbank Master Plan called for a shell house and dock to support human-powered watercraft, and the city's 2022 PROS Plan recorded that 44 per cent of residents expressed interest in rowing, with expanding water-oriented recreation named a priority.

This is a club at the very start, built on grants, sponsors and community donations rather than an established boathouse.