The 23rd annual Christmas Eve Row for past and present members of the Mobjack Rowing Association crew attracted more than 30 rowers from Mathews, Gloucester and Middlesex to Williams Wharf Landing on Sunday, with some alumni coming from several distant states.

Dozens of family members and friends also made the 8:30 a.m. tradition to cheer them on under windy and cold conditions at Williams Wharf. The backdrop to all the activity was the building framework and construction site for a regional rowing and environmental education center that will feature unusual new public facilities and programs. A capital campaign for the final stage of construction will be the focus of efforts in 2018, rowers were told. 

The Christmas Eve Row was started more than two decades ago as a way for Mobjack rowers to reconnect and share their experiences since leaving high school. Participants launched in 11 different boats for the informal “race” down the home course where they all learne...