For spring break, the Notre Dame men’s rowing team traded sandy beaches and shady palm trees for sunrise rows and post-practice naps. Leaving Friday, they loaded into six vans to make the trip to Clemson, SC for a week of practice on Lake Hartwell. They drove halfway on Friday and spent the night in central Tennessee. They completed the trip Saturday morning and arrived in Clemson mid-afternoon. After rigging the boats, the team took to the water for the first time this semester. Sunday began the two-a-day regimen; the rowers began their first practice at sunrise and returned for a second practice in the late afternoon. The first couple of days were spent working off the rust and regaining much of the boat-moving finesse that was lost during a long winter spent on the ergs. Wednesday saw the first intersquad scrimmage, with the Varsity 8+, the JV8+, the Novice 8+, the Varsity 2-, and the Novice 4+ racing against each other in four ten minute pieces. After a very competitive morning practice, the team had the afternoon off to explore the Clemson University campus and surrounding area. The rowers resumed their twice daily practices on Thursday and worked to prepare for their Friday races. Friday morning, the team saw their first action against other crews. The Varsity 8+ raced the Varsity 8+ crews from Boston University and the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. They defeated USCGA in all races and split races with BU. The JV8+ and Novice 8+ raced the JV8+ from USCGA; the Notre Dame JV8+ won all races, and the Novice 8+ traded victories with USCGA. Saturday morning, the team capped off the week with the traditional final workout of spring break, 2 x 2k. After two fast intersquad race pieces, the team de-rigged the fleet and set off for home. They stopped in Oak Ridge, TN for a home cooked meal at the home of a Notre Dame alum and then continued on to Kentucky. Saturday morning, the team traveled the final leg and returned home to the slowly thawing tundra of South Bend.