Announcing the 7th Annual Rivanna Regatta Kayak & Canoe Race, Saturday, May 12

The 7th annual Rivanna River Regatta Canoe & Kayak Races will be held Saturday, May 12, 2012. Racers to assemble starting at 8:30am for registration. First race starts promptly at 10am.

Racers may be started together at 10am sharp or there may be several heats. Race Coordinator reserves the right to combine or eliminate categories depending upon the number of paddlers in each category on race day.

Where?
Paddlers assemble at registration/start line under the Route 29 bridge north of Charlottesville (just north of the DoubleTree Hotel/Sam’s Club on the upstream side of the bridge off Rio Mills Road.) Race finish line is 6.2 miles later at the boat ramp in Darden Towe Park on the east side of Charlottesville. First place paddlers may finish by approx. 10:45am. Awards ceremony will be held at Darden Towe boat ramp shortly after the last racer completes the race (estimated 12:30-1pm.)

Small entrance fee (watch website for updates.) All kayakers and canoers welcome. Race course includes Class II—II+ rapids. Paddle at your own risk. (Signed waiver forms required.) Public spectators welcomed and encouraged at the finish line at Darden Towe Park.

Please keep on eye on this site for more information and updates!

Rivanna River Race 2011 video!

This was the 6th annual race held on May 14, 2011 in Charlottesville, VA. We thank everyone who came out to the event and look forward to next year. (Tentatively May 12, 2012) This year's event was the most competitive one yet with the top four finishers coming in less than 2 minutes apart!

Changes to this blog

This space will now be reserved for information about the annual Rivanna River Canoe & Kayak Races only. If you wish to stay informed about local paddling or our informal group's Wednesday night outings, then join our Facebook Group or watch the feed of Twitter.com/RivannaHipSnap. If you are not familiar with us, we are a very informal group of Charlottesville-area paddlers who get together to paddle on the S. Rivanna reservoir on Wednesday evenings during the summer and we network with each other to plan other canoe and kayak trips. There is no membership and we encourage local paddlers at all levels to connect with us.

Rivanna River Race 2011

A huge Thank You to everyone who ignored the weathermen and came out today for the 6th annual river race! The weather turned out to be perfect for a paddling race and the competition was fierce.

Let us know what ideas you have to make next year even better.

Tomorrow's races are still on

The Race Coordinator is still planning to have the races as scheduled on Saturday despite the rain in the forecast unless there are thunderstorms with lightening in the morning. He'll reassess at or before 10pm tonight but as of right now is planning to carry on with the races as scheduled.

Rivanna River Regatta Canoe & Kayak Races Saturday May 14, 2011

The 6th annual Rivanna River Regatta Canoe & Kayak Races will be held Saturday, May 14, 2011. Racers to assemble starting at 8:30am for registration. First race starts promptly at 10am.

Racers may be started together at 10am sharp or there may be several heats. Race Coordinator reserves the right to combine or eliminate categories depending upon the number of paddlers in each category on race day.

Where? Paddlers assemble at registration/start line under the Route 29 bridge north of Charlottesville (just north of the DoubleTree Hotel/Sam’s Club on the upstream side of the bridge off Rio Mills Road.) Race finish line is 6.2 miles later at the boat ramp in Darden Towe Park on the east side of Charlottesville. First place paddlers may finish by approx. 10:45am. Awards ceremony will be held at Darden Towe boat ramp shortly after the last racer completes the race (estimated 12:30-1pm.)

$10 entrance fee. All kayakers and canoers welcome. Race course includes Class II—II+ rapids. Paddle at your own risk. (Signed waiver forms required.) Public spectators welcomed and encouraged at the finish line at Darden Towe Park.

Contact for more information:
Merrill Bishop, Race Coordinator
Tel: 434-975-3072; Email: rambishop[at]aol[dot]com

Medals awarded in multiple kayak & canoe categories



Please help by right-clicking, printing and circulating the printable flyer (.pdf) for this event.

Announcing the 2011 Rivanna River Regatta Canoe & Kayak Races, May 14

The races have been announced for May 14, 2011. Save the date and come back often for more details.

Also be sure to watch the video from last year's race:

The 2010 race video is here!

Sorry this took me so long to produce but two videos, new computer, new video editing software, steep learning curve and....well...you get the drift.

 

 

Looking for local flat water during this dry spell?

Don't overlook the S. Rivanna Reservoir as a great, local place to paddle.  Most people don't realize that it is as big as it is and that it provides 7 miles of paddling enjoyment from end to end.

2010 Rivanna Race Winners

Categories announced for this Saturday's Race...

UPDATE: Awards ceremony will be at the Darden Towe boat ramp parking area at 1:30pm on Saturday.  We invite the whole community to cheer on the paddlers as they cross the finish line and then stay for the awards ceremony.  Bring a picnic lunch and make it a family event!  The Rose of Nelson Batteau will be there... plus other surprises.

UPDATE #2:  The Parent/Child race will be broken down into separate kayak and canoe categories.

* The Race Coordinator solely reserves the right to create or combine classes as it makes sense based on the number of paddlers and types of boats entered into this event.

May 8 canoe and kayak race is shaping up

The agenda for the May 8 Rivanna River Regatta Canoe and Kayak races is shaping up.

A local outdoors retailer will have a 'demo day' at Darden Towe so you can test drive canoes and kayaks, The Rose of Nelson batteau will be on display at Darden Towe for your enjoyment and education, T-shirts and hats will be available along with light refreshments and the Elks Club (at the entrance of Darden Towe) will be hosting a separate car show that day.  Come on out and join us at Darden Towe!  Racers are expected to start crossing the finish line at ~10:45am and with several heats and classes they will continue crossing the finish line until at least 12pm so pack a lunch, take plenty of pictures to share with us and have a wonderful time along the friendly banks of the Rivanna River.

T-shirts and hats will be available on race day

Rivanna River Regatta Canoe & Kayak Paddler t-shirts and hats are here and will be available for purchase both at the starting and finish lines of the May 8 race.  These are high quality garments with the embroidered logo and will be selling for $15 each (cash only).  All net proceeds will go to Mr. Bishop to help offset his costs/expenses for hosting this race (prize money, insurance, etc.).

The Rose of Nelson batteau returns for the May 8 Rivanna Regatta!

The Rose of Nelson Batteau will once again work its way down the Rivanna River on race day and dock at Darden Towe Park this year or (if not enough water) will be on a trailer at Darden Towe Park for the day on May 8.

The Virginia Canals and Navigation Society will also have a table display to educate visitors about the batteau, canals and early river history and exploration in Virginia.

Come on out to Darden Towe Park on Saturday, May 8 to cheer on the canoe and kayak racers as they cross the finish line and learn more about this historic batteau.  Bring the entire family because there will be other activities and displays to enjoy also.  Pack a picnic lunch and help make this event a community-building and river appreciation event!

Interview with Merrill Bishop, Race Coordinator for the Rivanna River Regatta Canoe and Kayak Races