MEET THE FLEET

The Lake Braddock Crew team has several eight and four-seat shells which are used in practice and regattas throughout the year. One of the goals of the board is to purchase a new shell every few years to maintain a modern and lightweight fleet. Below is an inventory of our ‘eights’ and ‘fours’ and a little about their names. Remember, we are Bruins, Bruins are bears, like most of our boat names!

Eights 🐻

Name Year Builder Series Type Size (lbs) Meaning of Name
Velocita 2002 Vespoli Challenger Light DS 125-155 The Italian word for Speed
Mens Rea 2004 Vespoli Ultralite Medium DM 155-185 “Mens Rea – “”Guilty Mind””; Mens Rea expresses a belief that people should be punished only when they have acted in a way that makes them morally blameworthy.”
Kodiak 2005 Vespoli Ultralite Light DS 125-155 “The Kodiak Bear lives in Alaska and is the world’s largest land carnivore. The male weighs up to 1,500 pounds standing up 13 feet high. (Ursus Arctos Middendorffi)”
Grizzly 2005 Vespoli Ultralite Light DS 125-155 “The Grizzly Bear got its name from its silver-tipped brown fur, which creates a “grizzled” look, but grizzlies actually range in color from bland to black. (Urus Actus Horribilis)”
Black Bear 2006 Vespoli V-1 Medium EM 155-185 “The Black Bear is best known and widespread throughout North America. They are medium size among bears, averaging 135 to 350 pounds and stand at 4 to 7 feet tall. (Ursus Americanus)”
Kuma 2008 Hudson Predator Medium MW 145-190 Bear in Japanese
Bruin 2010 Hudson Predator Light LW 115-150 “Large ferocious brown bear; massive plantigrade carnivorous or omnivorous mammals with long shaggy coats and strong claws. (Ursus Arctos)”
Beary 2010 Vespoli Eurostyle Light LW 115-150 Short for Beary McBearface.
Dancing Bear 2011 Hudson Predator Medium 150-180 In honor of a member of the LB Crew family who reminded us to always take the chance to dance .
Kohana 2017 Hudson Predator Medium 150-180 Swift Bear” in Sioux
Nanuk 2018 Hudson Predator Medium 150-180 “The Inuit name for the Polar Bear, meaning “an animal worthy of great respect””

Fours 🐻

Name Year Builder Series Type Size (lbs) Cox Meaning of Name
Lorek 2006 Hudson Elite Heavy MW 150-190 B “Armored polar bear from the Philip Pullman novel “The Golden Compass”. The king of his clan, defeated by treachery, later returns to reclaim his throne. Sworn to protect Lyra.”
Beorn II 2014 Hudson Super Predator Medium MW 145-175 S Norse Mythology – the name of a man who could turn into a bear
Makwa 2014 Hudson Super Predator Light LTWT 115-145 S “In Ojibwe Native American Language makwa, means Black Bear.”
Bruin Legend 2015 Hudson Super Predator Medium 145-175 B In honor of Lake Braddock Crew Bruin Legends (rowers who committed their four years of high school to the club)
Ghost 2020 Hudson Super Predator Medium MW 145-175 B “Named for the Ghost or Spirit Bear, a subspecies of the Black Bear also called kermode bear (Ursus americanus kermodei). Their light cream fur makes them look like a ghost of a bear in the distance.”
Orsetto 2023 Vespoli VHP 41 Medium 145-180 B “From Italian, means Baby Bear.”
Artio 2023 Vespoli VHP 41 Medium 145-180 B Artio is the Celtic goddess of the bear.