Joan Curtis, left, and Lynne Roldao row with the "Ladies of the Lake" on Lake Merritt on Wednesday, July 8, 2009, in Oakland, Calif. The Oakland Women's Rowing Club has been in existence since 1916 and rows on the lake every Wednesday morning. (Jane Tyska/Staff) ( JANE TYSKA )

OAKLAND -- Every Wednesday morning, weather permitting, several white boats can be seen gliding across the placid waters of Lake Merritt. The Oakland Women's Rowing Club has been a fixture here since 1916 and celebrated its centennial earlier this month.

Fondly known as the "Ladies of the Lake," the rowers often make onlookers do a double-take: They are impeccably dressed, disciplined and, in many cases, grandmothers. The women range from their mid-50s into their 90s, and many have been members since retirement.

"We're unique in the whole United States of America," said current president Chrys Peters. The United States Navy donated the original boats in 1916, and not just any boats -- narrow, pointed wooden whaleboats that were quite heavy but also maneuverable.

Coxswain Janice Zeiser, left, guides the "Ladies of the Lake" as they row a wooden whale boat on Lake Merritt on Wednesday, July 15, 2009, in Oakland, Calif. The Oakland Women's Rowing Club has been in existence since 1916 and rows on the lake every Wednesday morning. (Jane Tyska/Staff) ( JANE TYSKA )

"There are not very many women's whaleboat rowing clubs in the U.S.," she added, mainly because that would require a lake that did not freeze over in winter.

The club currently has one original whaleboat, two fiberglass boats and another new boat on the way

"You can't get them to make the old wooden boats," Peters said. "They're going the way of the dodo bird."

What isn't going extinct anytime soon are the club's long-held traditions. Each woman has her own wooden oar and is always in uniform according to the season -- a white jacket in summer and fall and orange jacket in the winter and spring. The women also wear neck scarves featuring appliquéd red and gold stars whose presence seems arbitrary at first but, in fact, represents how long each woman has been a member. Red stars signify one year while gold ones are five years.


Hildegard Schafer has been a member since 1965 and, in her 90s, still enjoys a few hours on the lake.

"My mother was a member," Schafer explained. "I came with her (to the lake) when I was little. After I got married, I brought my children here. They loved to be in the boat behind mother and grandmother."

While the club has revamped its boats and traded in long skirts for pants, it's not too modern. The club does not have a website or a Facebook page, nor do they advertise. Word gets around the old-fashioned way. The current wait-list time is about three years.

The OWRC is putting together a book that will include selections from its trove of historical photographs. A public celebration is scheduled for May 4 in front of the Lake Merritt Sailboat House and will feature a rowing demonstration and special guests. On most Saturday afternoons, the public is invited to join the "Ladies on the Lake."

The club's president cautions that participants should bring their A-game: "They will be expected to row."