Quaker City Masters Regatta Saturday, August 4th Continues 2012 Philadelphia Classic Regatta Series



Philadelphia, PA – August 1, 2012 -- The 2012 season of the Philadelphia Classic Regatta Series continues this Saturday, August 4th with the annual Quaker City Masters Regatta.

A regatta dedicated only to masters (age 21 or older), the Quaker City Masters Regatta has been held for the past 12 years. This Saturday, there are over 400 registered competitors in over 250 boats representing 33 clubs and nine states, including Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Delaware and Maryland..

“What is unique about the Quaker City Masters Regatta is we charge a flat $50 ‘slot’ fee that entitles the participants to compete in as many races as they wish to during the event, and includes lunch, a t-shirt, and a party after the last race,” said John Willemin, Regatta Director of the Quaker City Masters Regatta.  “We will have approximately 420 participants in 257 boats, from 33 clubs representing nine states, a significant field for a mid-summer master’s event, and their last opportunity to race before the 2012 USRowing Masters National Championships August 9th to 12th in Worcester, Massachusetts.”. 

Saturday’s Quaker City Masters Regatta begins at 9 a.m., and the last race of the day is scheduled at approximately 3:30 p.m. Admission to view the Quaker City Masters Regatta on the banks of the Schuylkill River and in the Grandstand located on Kelly Drive beneath the Columbia Railroad Bridge is free of charge.  Limited parking for cars is available nearby in Fairmount Park. A full schedule for the Quaker City Masters Regatta is available online at http://www.boathouserow.org.

With three of the largest regattas in the Mid-Atlantic region on the schedule, as well as two of the nation's oldest regattas, the Philadelphia Classic Regatta Series connects the rowing competitors of today to the historic home of the international rowing elite. It is built upon a tradition that launched November 12, 1835 with the first organized regatta on the Schuylkill (a full eight years before the start of the rowing program at Harvard). 

Over 175 years later, the Schuylkill River hosts more regattas annually than any other river in the nation.  Last year’s debut season of the Philadelphia Classic Regatta Series featured over 35,000 competitors in over 7,700 boats representing not only high schools but colleges, clubs, masters and open programs from around the country.   This season has already featured some of the biggest competitive rowing fields, as well as some of the largest audiences, in Philadelphia’s storied tradition in the sport.

The remaining 2012 Philadelphia Classic Regatta Series schedule of historic regattas:
  • Saturday, October 13: 26th Annual Navy Day Regatta
  • Saturday, October 20:  4th Annual Philadelphia Children’s Foundation Regatta
  • Saturday, October 27 & Sunday, October 28:  42nd Annual Head of the Schuylkill Regatta
  • Saturday, November 10:  9th Annual Hutchinson Cup Regatta
  • Sunday, November 11: 4th Annual Philadelphia Turn & Burn Regatta
The Philadelphia Classic Regatta Series has been recognized by the Philadelphia Sports Congress as one of the "Premier Annual Events" for the city, state and region along with the Penn Relays (April); Blue Cross Broad Street Run (May); Devon Horse Show (May); TD Bank Philadelphia International Cycling Championship (June); Philadelphia Insurance Triathlon (June); ING Rock 'n' Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon (September); the Philadelphia Marathon (November) and Army-Navy Football.

The official host hotel of the 2012 Philadelphia Classic Regatta Series is the Sonesta Hotel Philadelphia.  The official host restaurant of the 2012 Philadelphia Classic Regatta Series is Buca di Beppo-PhiladelphiaOfficial sponsors of the Philadelphia Classic Regatta Series include Monarch Travel Services and Spike's Trophies. Hilton Garden Inn Fort Washington and Double Tree Suites by Hilton Philadelphia West are hotel partners of the Philadelphia Classic Regatta Series.


Media Contact:
Jim DeLorenzo, Jim DeLorenzo Public Relations
215-564-1122