09 Jul 2014 Arkansas Boathouse Club plans Six Bridges Regatta

The inaugural Six Bridges Regatta will be held on the Arkansas River on Saturday, Aug. 30. Hosted by the Arkansas Boathouse Club, the Six Bridges Regatta will be a head race – basically a 5K on water. In Year 1, the event will be a one-day series of races beginning early Saturday morning and running until late afternoon.

Boats will put in at the North Little Rock docks adjacent to the Boathouse and will travel up river to the start of the race near the Burns Park canoe put-in area. The finish will be just under the Junction Bridge. The regatta will be a competitive rowing event with U.S. Rowing officials on the course and overseeing timekeeping. Put-in and take-out points for the regatta will be the main municipal dock and ramp in North Little Rock.

The event will be managed from the Arkansas Boathouse Club’s boathouse, with the facility serving as the hub for all regatta activities. The Arkansas Boathouse Club was re-established in 2006 by a group of dedicated community members. The “Boathouse Club” previously enjoyed a long history on the river from 1882-1945. During those years, an annual regatta was held on the river with accompanying swimming and diving events, as well as a debutante ball. The revitalized event, while it too will have accompanying smaller events, will focus solely on hosting a regional regatta for clubs and universities in the Central U.S. As this will be the first year for this event, it is the group’s plan to hold the regatta annually, and that it will grow over time, eventually drawing clubs from all across the U.S.

For additional information regarding the Arkansas Boathouse Club, please contact Ellen Sullivan, Arkansas Boathouse Club membership president at [email protected], or 501.771.0221. Additional details about the regatta can be found at arboathouse.org.