Great Bay Rowing began in 1996 when
Sean O’Connell started a program to address a growing interest in rowing in the Seacoast region of New Hampshire and to give back to the community what he had enjoyed as a high school rower on the Oyster River.

The Great Bay Rowing Club (GBR) was then formed as a non-profit community-based organization in 1997 to foster interest in rowing in the Seacoast region of New Hampshire at both the masters and junior levels.