The Marist Boathouse

Marist crew has been very active in competitive sports since the early 1960s.

In 1963 the Marist boathouse was built and named in memory of William Martin, chairman of the fund drive for its construction. It housed the college's rowing and sailing equipment and the crew boats. The two ramps leading to the Hudson River are used to launch the crew and sail boats which the Marist crew uses in racing and regattas.

Initially 13-foot wooden sloops called Blue Jays were used in student sailing competition and for pleasure sailing by the faculty. These were replaced in 1966 by Barnegats, 19-foot fiberglass sloops. For racing there was a crew of two but the boat could hold six. These Barnegats were later replaced by smaller boats.

For five consecutive years, ending in 1996, the Marist's men crew won the prestigious Haight Trophy by defeating eight other eastern college schools. Marist crew holds an honored position in this, the oldest intercollegiate sport in America. Its crowning achievement was to qualify, in 2002, for the Henley Cup Regatta in Oxford, England. They were defeated in the second round by Harvard, the eventual overall winner.