The William and Catharine Owens Waters Edge Center, a planned regional rowing center at Williams Wharf on the East River, will likely be the backdrop of some of the video shot this week by the crew from Hydrow. Not much progress has been made on the project since this photo was taken in 2016.

Pretty soon, a whole lot more people will be enjoying the scenic beauty of Mathews County as they launch their crew shells and row on the East River.

But don’t worry about large crowds—especially during this time of social distancing—since those rowers won’t actually be here. Instead, they will be taking part in a virtual Mathews County row from the safety of their own homes.

Today, several world-class athletes along with a supporting technical crew will be leaving from Miami to spend a few days in Mathews filming for Hydrow—a state-of-the-art rowing machine billed as the “Live Outdoor Reality Rower.”

The Hydrow crew has rented the entire Callis House Inn on Main Street through the we...