Sport
21 March, 2023
Paddlers ready for first regatta
HUNDREDS of paddlers are expected to race onto the waters of Lake Tinaroo this Saturday as The Dam Outrigger Canoe Club and the Cairns Beaches Outrigger Canoe Club host the first regatta of the 2023 North Queensland Zone Grand Prix season.
Last year’s event gathered over 500 participants and the hope is that number will be dwarfed this year with the dam level currently over 100 percent and some added new additions for spectators and racers to enjoy.
In a welcome change this year the regatta will also have multiple coffee, food and ice cream vans available as well as live music.
Club’s from across Queensland are expected to make the journey to Tinaroo this Saturday as they vie for the top place in a range of different divisions.
Dam Outrigger Canoe Club coach Ralph Seed said the regatta is a great chance for members of the community to come out and enjoy the lake, racing, food and music.
“This regatta is not only the first Northern Zone Outrigger Regatta of the season, but one of the best attended drawing eight clubs from Torres Strait in the North to Whitsundays in the south,” he said.
“It should be a great spectacle and a chance for all to enjoy the excitement of a packed sprint and short course program containing 28 different races.”
The regatta begins at 7am and will run until 4pm at 15 Tinnaburra Drive Yungaburra.
