DARTMOUTH (MA) - The final mile of Dartmouth’s spectacular Slocum River estuary will come alive Saturday morning, September 15, as scullers, canoe-paddlers, kayakers and rowers of all ages battle their way over a challenging 2-mile loop course that starts and finishes directly in front of the Lloyd Center for the Environment’s 55-acre nature preserve.  It is the second running of the Slocum River Regatta, known to boaters as “Southern New England’s Fall Rowing & Paddling Festival” and it is sponsored by the Lloyd Center to provide a day of fun and to draw attention to this valuable river resource and the need to protect its health.

Boats will cross the starting line at specifically prescribed intervals and race against the clock from start to finish.  Computer specialists, standing by at the Lloyd Center, will compile elapsed times for each entry and print-out final results as soon as penalties from any race-course infractions are determined. The regatta is open to an astounding 28 classes of competition that include single and double racing shells, recreational rowing craft, five-oared whaleboats, kayaks, canoes and fixed-seat rowboats, all in men’s, women’s and mixed (“co-ed”) categories.  An awards ceremony and lunch will follow at the Lloyd Center’s headquarters located at 430 Potomska Road in Dartmouth. 

For more information, to view a map of the race course, and to download an Entry Application Form, one should visit http://www.slocumregatta.org.  If further information is needed, please write Slocum Regatta at P.O. Box, P-94, Dartmouth, MA  02748, or call 508-558-2917.  All participants, whose entry applications are received by September 11 will receive a complimentary souvenir t-shirt with a distinctive race logo, while those who post the fastest time in each event-division will be awarded medals. All proceeds will go to benefit the Lloyd Center’s environmental research and educational programs.

Last year’s inaugural Regatta drew well over 100 competitors and officials are expecting another record field this year.  So, mark your calendars and either start training or start planning your best vantage point. It should be a glorious day.

Lloyd Center For the Environment

The Lloyd Center is the only area organization focused on educating the public about coastal and watershed issues, and conducting research on coastal ecosystems and endangered species. The Lloyd Center serves individuals, agencies, and organizations in southeastern New England (Rhode Island to Boston to Cape Cod). It

The Center cooperates on a broader level in coastal, environmental, and educational programming throughout New England, nationally and internationally.

The Center's school-based activities further expand their reach to urban audiences. A scholarship program also provides space for ten urban New Bedford students, mostly African-American and other minorities, in the Summer Program. 

You can learn more about the Lloyd Center for the Environmental at: http://www.lloydcenter.org.

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