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The river will teem with race boats again this Memorial Day |
By Amanda
Newman, Newberg Graphic intern
E-mail Amanda at
anewman@eaglenewspapers.com
|
The Newberg Boat Club will
again host the 59th annual Memorial Weekend Boat Races May 26 and
27.
Held from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Roger’s Landing, the free races
represent the second oldest outboard power regatta held continuously
in the United States and sanctioned by the American Power Boat
Association (APBA), according to race director Kenneth Kaiser.
The races will
feature both hydroplanes and runabouts, from the vintage antique
craft of the 1930s to modern outboard performance craft,
tunnel-style boats that can exceed 100 mph and “turn on a dime,”
Kaiser said.
Each boat class will run two heats, with points scored based on
position following each heat. First-, second- and third-place
trophies will be awarded in each class, and each participant will be
allocated national points by the APBA to determine national leaders.
“The event ... offers as entertainment a type of racing that is not
only a blast to watch, but also reasonably inexpensive (to
participate in), so that the average person can get involved without
a second mortgage of their home,” Kaiser said of the
“family-oriented sport.” Kaiser competes in boat racing himself,
along with his son and daughter.
Average yearly attendance is above 1,000 with about 90 racing
entries. “We will race rain or shine,” Kaiser said, “but on rainy
weekends we see spectator participation drop sharply.”
“A great deal of public resources have gone into the development of
Roger’s Landing ... with great emphasis on supporting pleasure
boating,” Kaiser said, citing another reason for public attendance.
“One weekend a year, the public who are not boat owners can take
possession of ... the park their tax dollars have developed.”
Sponsored by the Newberg Boat Club and the Columbia Outboard Racing
Association, the event will also feature an encapsulated boat fair,
a snack bar and a free shuttle.
The APBA has governed and sanctioned power boat racing in the
United States for more than 100 years.
The Newberg Boat Club was formed in 1946 to maintain the ramp area
at Roger’s Landing. The club organized marathon-style races on the
Willamette in the 1940s, settling on the weekend of Decoration Day
(Memorial Day’s predecessor) in 1949. In 1953, the races switched to
the current circle-racing format. |
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From May 16, 2007,
Newberg Graphic
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