The Wheeling Vintage Raceboat Regatta returns for another year at Wheeling’s Heritage Port on Labor Day weekend. (File photo)
WHEELING – Dozens of boats will roar down the Ohio River during the 17th annual Wheeling Vintage Raceboat Regatta on Labor Day weekend.
The vintage cars and their drivers, coming to Friendly City from near and far, will arrive in town for registration on Friday and be launched at Heritage Port on Saturday morning.
Following last year’s participation of 57 boats, the largest in the event’s history, regatta co-director Debbie Joseph pointed out that organizers had “scaled back” entries this year to 51 boats.
Joseph added that the event should run more smoothly compared to last year, as boats will be able to enter the town on Friday via the newly paved main road.
“We are very pleased that Main Street has been paved and the streetscape project on Main Street is largely complete,” Joseph added. “We are excited to welcome everyone who came through Main Street with their boat last year, which was very difficult, and to see all the improvements made and how great the town looks.”
After the opening ceremony at 9:45 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday, the boats will begin sailing. The first 100 people through the event gate will receive a free autograph poster for the riders to sign.
According to Joseph, the boats will continue racing for a few hours after the opening ceremony before a lunch break around noon. During the break, competitors are invited to take a closer look at the boats in the pits.
During the break, Joseph noticed that one of the children’s favorite activities was to take a look behind the curtain of the regatta and sit in the boats.
“Welcoming families, parents and children and showing them what we really do is always one of my favorite parts of the regatta,” said Joseph.
Jeff “Nemo” Buckley, chairman of the Vintage and Historic Division of the American Power Boat Association, is looking forward to introducing the sport to visitors as regatta participants.
“We love sharing our sport and its history with the kids and, frankly, all ages,” Buckley said. “We try to give the very curious youngsters the opportunity to climb up in the seat and look over the deck of the boat, and we even crank the boat with them in it. It’s about sharing the history of our sport.”
More than 50 boats will participate in this year’s regatta, and spectators will see many different types of watercraft on the Ohio River. Buckley noted that “every boat and every driver” that takes to the water has their own unique story and past. He added that racers are happy to share the story of their craft not only with spectators, but with other participants as well.
“The beauty of this sport is the stories associated with the boats, the owners and the families who built them,” Buckley said. “If we don’t carry that history forward, it will be lost to future generations.”
The history of each boat includes how it was built, where it raced and the restoration required to get the vintage craft back on the water. For Buckley, who is considering heading to the regatta with a Grand Prix boat that hasn’t been on the water for 12 years, the restoration process involves spending the week before the race repairing the boat to get it into racing shape.
“The Grand Prix is a boat that a lot of people don’t even know exists,” Buckley said. “My Grand Prix has basically been sitting in a barn for the last 12 years, so if we can get it running, we’ll surprise everyone. It’s a lofty goal, but I think we can do it.”
Buckley said what makes the regatta a must-attend event for fans of historic racing boats is the wide variety of unique boats launched and the long history of the event.
“The Wheeling Regatta is known throughout the country as the finest and largest event in the country,” Buckley added. “It has such a high reputation that we consider it one of the meccas of history and vintage boat racing.”
In addition to telling their own stories about the history of their boats, the racing community will have another opportunity to celebrate vintage boat racing at the Wheeling screening of Dave Kappel’s new documentary, “Vintage Hydroplanes: People, Place, and Time.”
The documentary traces 50 years of inboard hydroplane racing in the Ohio Valley, focusing on the rise and fall of the sport in New Martinsville. It will be shown at 7 p.m. Saturday, August 31 at the Towngate Theatre.
Buckley, who saw the documentary at its July 12 premiere in New Martinsville, said he looks forward to seeing the film again.
“There was so much wonderful history in that documentary that it’s hard not to say, ‘Man, that was wonderful,'” Buckley said. “The documentary also goes into what makes the Ohio River a great place to race because of its clarity and water conditions. I know firsthand that when the wind is blowing from the right direction, you better watch out because you’ll pick up more speed than you expected.”
Joseph thanked the sponsors who will help ensure the event runs smoothly. These include Merco Marine Boat Docks, which provides and maintains the event’s docks, and Bellaire Harbor Services, which stores the docks over the winter season. Panhandle Cleaning and Restoration is sponsoring the event’s dive rescue team.
Other major sponsors of the event include Savage Construction, the Ohio County Commission, the City of Wheeling and Wheeling Volkswagen-Subaru.
