On March 11, Houston celebrated its most historic waterway with the 51st Buffalo Bayou Partnership Regatta. If you have followed the regatta in recent years, you will be familiar with the old 14-mile course that began at San Felipe Street in west Houston and proceeded downstream to Allen’s Landing Park, downtown. Due to uncertainty around the availability of the San Felipe launch site this year, the 2023 regatta was set up with an 8.8-mile closed loop course that began and ended at Allen’s Landing Park, between the bridges for Main Street and Fannin Street.  

Along the bayou, which is wider and slower-flowing at this more downstream location, regatta paddlers saw historic bridges, parks, remnants of old docks and wharves from the early days of Houston, industrial facilities that line both shores in places, and the specially-designed Bayou-Vac boat that is used to clean trash and debris from the bayou. The return leg of the course also offered striking views of the Houston skyline.

Boarding and exiting canoes and kayaks was made easier thanks to a low-to-the-water floating dock that had been arranged by the Buffalo Bayou Partnership, the organization that organizes the regatta. Once boats were launched, paddlers waited near the Main Street Bridge, a short distance upstream from the starting line. Skies were still cloudy at this point, but they soon cleared, giving way to a beautiful day.

Paddlers were started in four different waves, depending on the type of craft and number of paddlers per boat. The assortment of people and their equipment was very diverse, with some 323 paddlers in 216 boats, distributed across 19 different categories. So, it was no surprise that the official race times varied widely, from just over one hour to just shy of four hours. An entire listing of the results can be viewed online.

But the regatta was not all about competition. Paddlers in the large non-competitive class were free to go at their own pace, make stops, and paddle less than the full length of the course if they wanted. Experienced paddlers in safety boats started along with each group, and motorized rafts were also available to help if needed.

Following the paddling event, participants ascended the grassy slope at Allen’s Landing Park and rounded out the day’s experience at the Buffalo Bayou Partnership’s building with food, drinks, and music. If you didn’t participate this year, you might want to consider taking part in the 2024 regatta. 

Photos by Tom Douglas. Racecourse map by the Buffalo Bayou Partnership.