Fall in Full Effect: Sunday was 100% cider donut weather, finally.

Mastering the Mud: we caught the DCR crews hard at work on Sunday with pumps, shovels, and straw to try to keep the mud at bay.

'Get Out, Get Out': How do you know if someone has wandered into the announcing tent mid race? You suddenly hear "get out, get out, get out" over the loudspeaker in the middle of the race call. It got a good chuckle from the folks on the bank.

Kids on Phones: Looking for a way to kill time waiting for your award ceremony? Just re-watch endless replays of your own race on your phone, like we saw a bunch of the youth crews doing.

OK, New Plan: One coach's fix for finishing in the same place as last year? "Time for more box jumps."

Best Catch: When the headwind ripped this guy's hat off, he caught it in one motion, mid-stroke.

Some Things Overheard on One Bridge:

• "My pledge test is that I can't turn right--hope that kid's not coxing the Elliot turn anytime soon."
• "Seems like coxing could be taken over by AI."
• "What is that noise? Who's talking? Is someone talking to them on a radio from the shore?" We had the new rowing parent lean over the bridge wall to see the coxswain in the bowloader spot, talking to the crew from inside the boat.

Feeding the Fishes: the stroke seat of the winning Princeton Champ 4 fed a lot of fish on the way to the dock; sometimes the consequence (reward?) of a full pull.

Ah, those HOCR Boat Club Names: here's a good one, the Harvard Waves? A bunch of physics grad students apparently, which is clever (but it is no 'Bill and Ian's Hot Sauce'). And the Rutgers Women's Alumnae abbreviation on the results? RURAH, natch.

Best Race Day Leg Ink: goes to the kid who just wrote "organ failure" on her leg.

Germany's Verena Meyer zu Westrup

Pitching In: the HOCR has added "Sustainability" to its regatta goals, and folks are listening--over the weekend, row2k spotted both a former Junior World Champion, Germany's Verena Meyer zu Westrup and former Head of the Charles Champ Singles winner Maggie Fellows taking shifts helping keep the banks clean and trash and recycling sorted; it's a job for everyone.

On Optimal Lines: for all the folks who stress about the perfect course and how tight to hug the buoys, the advice we heard from Gregg Stone, one of the most experienced scullers on the Charles? "Don't be too clever."

Big Erg in 3 Seat: we spotted Elizabeth Gilmore, CRASH-B Champ and recent convert to rowing, in the Capital Rowing Club crew which won the Women's Master Eight, holding down a spot in the engine room. Great to see that Gilmore made it to the on-water portion of the sport--and collected a Charles medal to boot.

Gilmore, fourth from right, with her new rowing club teammates from Capital

Coolest Credential: Why, Kate's Mom's, of course.