For Decades now Pittsburgh has celebrated their position on the rivers with an annual Regatta. More than just boat races, the Regatta features all sort of events – on the water, on the land and in the air.
First up – The Red Bull Paratroopers.
They came down fast, dropping into the valley from above.
Before pulling up just before they….
Hit the water!
The XPogo crew were on hand for some amazing acrobatics.
They have amazing skills on a pogo stick.
Doing backflips while dismounting their stick.
Flipping the pogo stick between their legs in mid air.
These guys were crazy – but very skilled.
Next up – the Anything That Floats competition. When we would come to the regatta back in the 1990s there were 20 or more contestants.
While fewer this year, those that were here were enthusiastic.
A nice water touch.
The boat was misnamed.
The Isaly’s Ice Cream Shop boat wasnt fast, but it was steady.
Not sure if the beer cans were empty or not.
Sharks and Pirates together.
As they made their way down the river they met up with one of the Tiki Hut floating bars.
Which left them at the finish to sail into the sunset.
The water jet guy came out to wow the crowd.
Followed by the jet ski’s, who all were adapt at doing flips.
They seemed to be upside down as much as upright.
A perfect shot – an upside down jet ski with the Point Fountain, Ft Pitt Bridge and Mt Washington in the background.
But it was time for boat racing – the officials surveyed the river.
The crews were ready for the start.
Some less intense than others.
And it was time to race – first up were smaller boats that made a turn before the Ft Duquesne Bridge.
They were quick down the straights.
The larger boats finally took over the course.
The south turn was right at the point where the Monongahela, Allegheny and Ohio Rivers meet.
Another nice view of the Point Fountain.
It is amazing how fast the boats separate – just a few laps and they were all over the course with little grouping together.
Downtown Pittsburgh offers great backdrops for the racing.
After the races, we headed over to Point Park where they had other activities. One was an amazing sand sculpture dedicated to the historic (and defunct) Pennsylvania Railroad.
This entire sculpture is sand.
The detail was fantastic.
The train.
Detail of the train wheels.
After dinner we headed back to the North Side for…..
FIREWORKS!
A great ending to a great day.
