Buffalo Bayou Regatta
March 11, 2023
by Bruce Bodson
Sponsored by the Buffalo Bayou Partnership
Participation: Official registration was 323 people in 216 boats
HCC Participants: Bruce Bodson, Tom Douglas, Harmon Everett, Brent Hwang, and Gary Masters, all serving as safety boats
Distance: 8.8 miles
Photo Album
This was the 51st running of the Buffalo Bayou Regatta and despite a few hitches in logistics, it was well attended. The initial hitches had to do with the course for the race. Due to some landowner access issues the traditional starting point was unavailable.
As a result of that, the usual 14-mile down river course was replaced by a down and back course. The route went from Allen’s Landing 4.4 miles down to the railroad bridge just above the outfall for the City of Houston’s main wastewater treatment plant. Several of the racers told me that the traditional route is like paddling through a riparian forest until you are suddenly in the city. They described this route as starting in the city and then paddling through a junkyard, referring to the scrap metal recyclers along that portion of the Bayou. It did stop far enough above the wastewater outfall to avoid putting the reek back in the old Reeking Regatta.
For an out and back loop course it was appropriate though. The Bayou through this section is wide and deep, with plenty of room for boats going up and downstream to meet without any risk of collision. All the racers I spoke to on the Bayou said they had a great time and more than a few toward that back of the pack were quite happy not to have the additional 5.5 miles to paddle.
Our safety crew, plus other unaffiliated safety folks were placed in the Bayou at several locations. Harmon and I were sent down to the turnaround to await the racers, while the rest of our folks were interspersed among them at the start. As a result of positioning and the relatively consolidated start, I was able to see virtually every boat in the race as they approached the turnaround. It was a great way to see everyone and enjoy the action.
All in all it was a great day! The weather was perfect, there were minimal incidents that required safety boat attention, and it was a happy crowd. It was a great way to celebrate Houston’s mother bayou.