Black Lake Regatta
June 22-23, 2024
Douglas Hall

On June 22^nd Richard Thomas, Maria DeKoker, Nev Lewis, and I attended the Black Lake Regatta at Black Lake located four miles southwest of Olympia. The racing was scheduled to begin about 10 am, but didn’t start until just before noon. The last race started at approximately 5 or just after. I was a bit disappointed with the late start; however, once it started, the day was fun with good weather.

There is a small area where bleachers were set up which provided the only real viewing area. Sitting near the top gives a decent view of the boats during the race though.

Different classifications included youth (approx. 12 – 13 years of age), and of course adults driving open and closed cockpit hydros reaching speeds well over 100 mph. There were several ladies in the cockpits of the boats, which was good to see. There was also outboard motorboat racing throughout the day. Some youth boats had "restrictors" on them, which limits their speed, obviously for safety concerns. Four laps around the 1.25 mile course (5 miles) is the standard race distance.

There are no food options, so bringing a few snacks helped. I have attended this race before and hope to again next year.