Right Around the River Blog
8th Annual Rocketts Landing Sprints Regatta Is Here
Post Date: 06-21-2011
For the past eight years at Rocketts Landing, we've hosted the Virginia Boat Club's Sprints Regatta -- and this Saturday's race is turning out to be one exciting day of events!
To start, as a sporting event, the regattas draw a fantastic crowd of engaged spectators and passionate rowers on the James River right in front of Rocketts Landing. In fact, our location has been attracting rowers and spectators down to the river since 1888, when one of the first regattas in the U.S. took place at Rocketts Landing (how 'bout them apples)!
Check out this old video of the Virginia Boat Club (VBC) and Potomac Boat Club competing against each other at Rocketts Landing in 1933:
Keeping the legacy strong, six clubs are set to compete in the regatta this year, including major rowing clubs from the Greater Mid-Atlantic region: Chester River Rowing Club (from Maryland), Hampton Roads Rowing Club, Potomac Boat Club (a premiere club), Rivanna Boat Club and VBC.
At the sprints regatta, rowers will compete in all size shells in five 1,000-meter lanes, with women’s, men’s and coed heats starting every 10 minutes. Older rowers will gain a seven-second lead on younger participants this year — and everyone will be expected to sweat, row, yell and sweat some more! (If you’ve ever seen a regatta that doesn’t involve buckets of sweat and lots of yelling from the coxswains, we’d love to see the video.)
A cookout full of food and drinks for rowers will start at 11:00 a.m., followed by a bake sale to support the Virginia Boat Club. Their women’s 4-team is trying to raise funds for competing in the Women’s Masters Championship in Oklahoma City — and with their recent Gold medal at the Stonewall Regatta on June 4, we hope they’ll keep the momentum going!
After attending the regatta, you’ll also be able to enjoy live music by a Jimmy Buffet cover band starting at 2:00 p.m. at Conch Republic Rocketts — which also marks their first Saturday serving lunch.
So step on up and come on down, this weekend we’re ready to make waves!