The 92nd Annual Rochester Memorial Day Boat Race had a record-setting day on May 25 despite rain showers and gray skies.
For over nine decades, Tri-Town area boaters have raced in their home-built kayaks down 12 miles of the Mattapoisett River in a staggered race (each team departs every minute) from Grandma Harley’s Reservoir off Snipatuit Road at 8:30 am, ending at the finish line at the Mattapoisett Herring Weir at Route 6 roughly two hours later.
Race Chairman Arthur Benner said the weather conditions were pretty good for the boaters this year. “It’s not that rainy,” he said. “If it was hot, it’d be pretty hard on ’em. This will work good for them.”
The rain was getting heavy only as one of the first teams to finish appeared off the banks near the Mattapoisett herring run around 10:30 am to cheering spectators young and old. Ian and Eli MacGregor were both soaking wet as they pulled their kayak on shore. Ian’s been a participant for 30 years, his younger brother Eli for 12 years. Ian has run the race for so long “because it’s a lot of fun,” he said. “It’s a good workout, and I’m told it keeps you younger.” Eli said the rain helped them with the race because it cools them down.
Soon afterwards, the boat their father paddled in came to shore. Peter MacGregor is 63 and said he has competed in the race 52 times. “Why participate for so many years?” he is asked. He answered simply, “Tradition.”
Rochester Herring Inspector David Watling explained that tradition. He said the race started as a 4H Club project around 1934. Local boys who made their own kayaks with the help of the sawmills then in the area started racing them down the Mattapoisett River. The practice grew until taken over by the Rochester’s Men Association and then the Rochester Fire Association, which currently sponsors the event.
Al Hammerman of Rochester, who said he has competed in the race for around 15 years, noted that participating in the race takes, “skill, stamina and being maniacal – a maniac.”
“It looks like last year’s winner is this year’s winner,” Benner said as all the boats started reaching the end of the race.
The final results released later that day confirmed this prediction. Benner reported that first-place winners, sister and brother Rebecca and Alex Milde from Mattapoisett, won both the overall race with a time of 1:59:22 and the Co-Ed Division as they did in the 2025 race, taking home the Russ Lawrence Memorial trophies for first place in the race and the Co-ED Division. The MacGregors placed second, with a time of 1:59:55. Receiving recognition for 26 consecutive races starting in 2001 was Matthew Buckley of Mattapoisett, racing with his partner Peter MacGregor of Rochester, finishing eighth this time around with a time of 2:07:43.
Benner said Katelyn Watling, age 10, and her father William D. Watling III of Rochester, won third place overall and the Parent/Child Division award (with a time of 2:02:28). This was their third consecutive win in this division. In addition to the overall third-place trophies and the first-place Parent/Child Division trophies, they were presented plaques that recognize their consecutive wins in 2024, 2025 and 2026. The Old Man River plaque, for the oldest finisher in the race not having received it in a prior year, went to Gifford Lawrence, age 74 of Rochester, racing with his granddaughter Krissey Varbero, age 10 of Mattapoisett, finishing 34th.
By Michael J. DeCicco