Vanderbilt Rowing now has use of a new longer boat dock, thanks to the efforts of a local Boy Scout and the collaboration of the Nashville rowing community.
Robert Papel, a student at Montgomery Bell Academy and a member of the MBA rowing team, undertook the construction of a new dock at Hamilton Creek Marina on Percy Priest Lake as his Eagle Scout project. The old dock was unsatisfactory and too short for the longest boats.
The new dock is 12 feet wide and 60 feet long, compared to the 6-by-40 foot length of the previous structure. Volunteers, including members of Vanderbilt Rowing, MBA Rowing, the Nashville Rowing Club and Boy Scouts from Troop 31 worked for most of a weekend in late July to complete the project, putting in more than 330 total hours. Rowers from all of these groups will have use of the dock.
Founded in 1985, Vanderbilt Rowing has since gained recognition as a competitive crew in the Southeast United States. The club consists of about 30-40 members who train on Percy Priest Lake and compete in both a fall and spring season, attending approximately four regattas per season throughout the Southeast.
For more information, visit www.vanderbilt.edu/campusrecreation/clubs/Rowing.html.