The Gay and Lesbian Rowing Federation (GLRF) will be in San Diego as a part of its 2004 Ready All Boats Awareness Campaign. The campaign kicked off earlier this year in San Francisco on Feb. 1, and continued in Austin Feb. 13.

The GLRF is a worldwide umbrella organization for gay and lesbian rowers, promoting and supporting rowing in the GLBT community with Web-based resources and information, serving as a liaison both within the community and with the larger international rowing world.

The awareness campaign is designed to promote rowing in the GLBT community and to encourage clubs and boathouses to form boats for the 2006 Rendezvous Montreal Regatta and the anticipated 2006 Gay Games VII Regatta. The campaign will consist of a series of GLRF-hosted city launch events in the United States, Canada and Europe.

The Ready All Boats awareness campaign will bring together and energize rowers from both gay-specific clubs and general clubs and boathouses to start organizing boats for 2006 regattas. It will also promote rowing within the local gay and lesbian community and “get ‘em on the water” through increased visibility and publicity in each city.

Each Ready All Boats city launch event will coincide with a significant local rowing event or rowing club promotion in cities including San Francisco, Austin, Miami, Washington DC, Munich and Montreal.

Here in San Diego, events for the Ready All Boats campaign will revolve around the annual San Diego Crew Classic, and will include a party at Bourbon Street.

“For the first time ever, the San Diego Crew Classic will have a formalized gay and lesbian presence with a table at the trade booth,” Brian Todd, executive director of the GLRF, told the Gay & Lesbian Times. “We are hoping people will stop by and learn more about the organization. This is a major step up in terms of visibility not only for the GLRF but also for gay and lesbian rowing in general. Alumni, coaches, masters participants and collegiate crews will now see the GLRF banner and become aware that there is a significant presence of gay and lesbian athletes within rowing.”

People can see what rowing is all about by heading down to Mission Bay for the annual San Diego Crew Classic, April 3-4, starting both mornings at 7:00 a.m. Collegiate teams from all over the United States converge for this regatta.

Todd added, “We’re hoping to increase the awareness of rowing within the community and at the same time, hold open the door to those who may be interested by encouraging them to pursue rowing at one of the local San Diego Rowing facilities.”

Members of the GLRF will be at Bourbon Street for a reception on Saturday, April 3, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., to meet with members of the community who are interested in getting involved with the international rowing organization. For more information visit this story online at http://www.gaylesbiantimes.com/ for a link to the GLRF web site.