In response to the dredging of its neighbor the Cooper River, the central New Jersey Mercer and Carnegie lakes have short-tracked similar projects this spring.
"We're getting tons of calls about regattas relocating from the Cooper River, and our constituents felt they were rowing on lesser courses due to the lack of dredging," said Country Executive Brian Hughes of Mercer County. "We spoke to the folks at the Mercer Boathouse, and their feeling was that we should wait, but we can't have our kids rowing on a lesser course even for a year - and if it means they don't race that year, so be it."
On the Carnegie, a different dynamic is at work.
"When one of our coaches flipped his launch last year, he stood up and his iPhone wasn't even ruined," said Princeton University associate athletic director Anthony Archbald. "It was clearly time."
Several dozen calls were placed to the Schuylkill Navy, but the line was busy throughout the day; an unnamed official did offer that crews have a place to go for their championships. "We'll float them up and et vous pret them all day long, no pro'lem," he said.