×

Start Your Engines

Racers arrive for 49th annual Labor Day Regatta

Warren Burke, left, and his grandson, J.T. Thompson, made the trip from southern Maryland for the 49th annual Labor Day Regatta. Thompson, 16, said that he loves competing in the races.

Norma and Rob Dixon, of Port Hope, Canada, unload their boat in preparation for the 49th annual Labor Day Regatta in Lock Haven. The Dixons said they have been coming to Lock Haven to race for more than 30 years.

By CHRIS MORELLI

cmorelli@lockhaven.com

LOCK HAVEN — Along the banks of the Susquehanna River on Thursday afternoon, all was quiet.

Competitors unpacked their gear in preparation for the 49th annual Labor Day Regatta, which begins today and runs through Labor Day.

Racers from the all across the country will gather to compete for prize money at the annual event, which is sponsored by the Lock Haven Area Jaycees.

“This is like the Daytona 500 of boat racing even though it’s at the end of the year,” said Hunter Grimes of Redwood, N.Y. “This is like everyone’s last hurrah. It’s a big get-together, I’ve been coming for close to 10 years now.”

Grimes said that one of the appealing things about the regatta is the fact that it draws competitors from across the United States and beyond.

“This is the exciting one. This weekend, we’ll get (racers) from all over the country. It’s people you haven’t seen in years and people you see all the time,” he said.

According to Grimes, the river is a “driver’s race course.”

“It’s so narrow. You can have a fast boat, but you’ve gotta be a good driver to be able to manipulate the course. It gets pretty rough out there sometimes. You’re running through your own dirty water as you’re coming back around because there’s not much of an area for it to dissipate. It gets pretty choppy,” he said.

Rob and Norma Dixon came all the way from Port Hope, Canada. Rob races while Norma described herself as the “financier.”

So why travel from Canada?

“It’s the competition,” Rob said. “We’ve been coming for 30 years. The first time we came was 1993. I don’t know how many times we’ve been here. I really like the atmosphere with the ferris wheels and fireworks. It’s just a good place to be.”

For some, it’s not about competing. John Runne of New Bern, N.C., stopped racing several years ago. However, he still comes back every year with family and friends. His son races now.

It’s a 10-hour drive, but Runne said that it’s well worth it.

“Lock Haven itself is a very special race because we get together. You get the extra day, so we spend most of our time socializing. During the day we race boats because otherwise we would never make it to the night,” Runne said with a laugh.

But seriously, Runne said that he enjoys just watching the competition.

“The racing is great, the racing is intense,” he said.

Runne said that there’s a real camaraderie throughout the racing community. Through the years, Runne said, he’s made friends from Florida, Indiana, Maine, Michigan and Wisconsin — just to name a few.

“It’s like a family,” he said. “There are generations of families that just keep doing this.”

According to Runne, the competition can get intense at times.

“It’s like ‘I love ya dude, but I’m here to kick your ass,'” he said.

One of the youngest racers this weekend will be 16-year-old J.T. Thompson, who traveled from southern Maryland with his grandfather, Warren Burke.

Thompson said that he likes to compete. And he’s not intimidated by the competition, even though things can get pretty intense out there. He’s been upside down a few times in other races. However, he wasn’t scared, he said.

“Not really,” he said. “It happens.”

The two said they were excited to be back in Lock Haven.

“We like Lock Haven,” Burke said. “It’s a really nice course.”

The festivities officially begin tonight at 6 p.m.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

COMMENTS

[vivafbcomment]

Starting at $3.69/week.

Subscribe Today