20 August 2009 3:23pm
Sand ahoy! It’s the Henley-on-Todd Regatta.
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Can you run a boat race 1500km from water? Bet your bottomless boat you can. Leg it to Central Australia on 22 August to see for yourself.
Every August, in one of the driest places in the country, boat crews in costumes step into bottomless lightweight boats, hoist them up around their waists, and race around the sandy, dry Todd Riverbed. Why? That doesn’t seem to matter to the thousands of folks who travel to Alice Springs for the famous Henley-on-Todd Regatta.
Before I went (I had to see it for myself), I expected mayhem: hundreds of people running along the Todd River bed, which wends its way through the centre of Alice Springs, in one big chaotic race. In fact, it’s a highly organised occasion with a full day’s program of nautical nuttiness. There’s a Bath Tub Derby (four people carry a fifth crew member around in a bath tub), a Boogie Board event (a lucky crew member sitting on a board gets towed around the circuit), kayaking, rowing, and a whole of other run-around-in-the-sand-and-make-like-it’s-wavy fun. Turning a regatta on its keel is quite insane, hugely entertaining to watch (with a cold beer in hand, of course), and even more fun to participate in.
The best thing? Anyone can join in! Some folk bring their own boats from afar, or arrive a few days early to build a boat. Hotels and hostels often invite guests to help build a boat and participate in the team. (I stayed at Annie’s Place, where everyone was encouraged to join in.) So, if you’ve just arrived in town, check with your accommodation to see if it’s recruiting a team - the only requirement is enthusiasm and a willingness to run around in the sand in a costume and a boat.
If you can’t find a team at your hotel/hostel, or at the pub, fear not, you may make a dry-river-bed pirate yet. Rise early for the parade in the Todd St mall – here, all the boats make their way past cheering crowds and down to the cordoned-off racing area of the Todd River bed. Check out the competition (and arm yourself with a water pistol to defend yourself against the pirate boat) and prospective team mates.
Follow the procession down to the race area, find the registration tent (there are plenty of signs as well as marshals to help out), and sign up to an event. Or grab some nosh, a stubby holder, and a coldie, take a seat on the riverbank and let everyone else do the hard work.
Sand ahoy!
Further information:
This year’s regatta will be held on Saturday 22 August. The parade begins at 11am. Check out the full program and schedule.
A percentage of the money raised by admission and participant fees is donated to charity.
There’s more to the Alice than not-quite-nautical antics. Sneak a peek at the Alice Springs chapter from our new Central Australia guide.
