It was a little bit cool, a little bit overcast, and perfect for paddling Greens Bayou!  The fleet also enjoyed a tailwind and a quick current that helped them downstream for the fastest race ever, so fast that the land crew barely made it to the finish line before the finishers and our photographer almost missed getting action shots as the first boats crossed the finish line!  (Our apologies go out to Matt Bonura for accidentally putting out the wrong photo!  That was our second place finisher, Mark Kouwe -- close race!  The grievous error has been corrected!)

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This year we had a split start for the first time--with the Corporate Cup racers starting a few minutes behind the rest of the fleet.  A little less chaotic in the narrow start area, but no less competitive!

 

We had our usual mix of paddlers on the Bayou this year - serious racers, people out to enjoy this lovely area of Greens Bayou, and environmentalists helping to clean out a section of the bayou.  Thank you all for joining us!

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Greens Bayou Coalition plans the Regatta each year to showcase Greens Bayou and draw paddlers out to a wonderful recreational jewel in urban Houston.  Our mission is to improve the quality of life in the watershed.  We host cleanups, plant trees, promote and look for funding for parks, trails, & boat launches, and advocate for flood mitigation and resilience.  We also monitor water quality and have an environmental education program for kids. We are a 501(c)3 nonprofit and we are funded through donations, grants and sponsorships. The regatta serves as a fundraiser, an awareness campaign and a cleanup effort!

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We couldn't do this without our many sponsors, listed below, or our fabulous volunteers!  We thank everyone who sponsored, donated and participated.  We couldn't do this without the help of Houston Parks Board and Houston Parks & Recreation--without their wonderful parks and launches, we wouldn't have a Regatta at all.  Many thanks to In-Kind donors Precincts 3 & 4 who shared Corporate Cup canoes, and to Precinct 2 who this year shared tents, tables, chairs and PFDs, and also transported everything from park-to-park.  Huge thanks to TEXSAR and our sweep, Fran Wilcox, on the water for making sure the paddlers stay safe, to Rico Torres of AR's Entertainment Hub for once again rocking the after-party; and Coca Cola SWB who rehydrated us with fabulous beverages.  What would we do without the great Barry Ross family and North Belt UD,  who again cooked up our famous "Best Lunch on the Bayou?"  And thanks to Spindletap who most kindly provided the beer. And finally, we definitely appreciate METRO for getting everyone back to their vehicles at the end of the day with their usual excellent service.

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Race Director Tom Helm once again made sure we had a fun and safe race.  He's promised to come back and do it again next year, thank goodness!  And we are so appreciative of his amazing assistant time keeper, Senia Ziegler who helped keep up with all the boats!

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Our volunteers truly keep the Regatta running so smoothly each year!  Many thanks to all of them:  Karen, Leo, Robert, John, Jackie, Beth, Regina, Clarissa, Stephanie, Laura, Connor,  Naomi, Anna, Karla and the North Shore Anchor teens!

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  We look forward to seeing you soon on Greens Bayou!  Join us in our efforts to make the watershed a wonderful place

to live, work and play!