Annual 1000 Islands Regatta: Exciting Races, Great Weather & Large Crowds

Brockville – The annual 1000 Islands Regatta was held in Brockville this past weekend, which saw great weather and large crowds take in the 3-day racing festival.

Organizers say that “It exceeded expectations” with large crowds for the three-day event.

This year’s event featured nightly entertainment from Healy and Orr, David Wilcox and Kim Mitchel on Friday night. (Wilcox and Mitchel replaced Loverboy who cancelled just before the weekend).

The Tragically Hip Tribute Band Road Apples, Hell N Back and Dead Root Revival performed on Saturday night while Jordy Jackson, Bourne to Rock and Tinted Wisdom closed out the event on Sunday night.

Racing was held on both Saturday and Sunday, with great weather on both days. It featured 5 racing classes, 2.5-litre, F2500, JSS class, H class, and Grand Prix.

In the 2.5-litre class, young driver Grant Liddycoat celebrated his first victory on Canadian soil behind the wheel of the S-97, Send It. He secured first place ahead of Stéphane Racine in the S-17 DeFying Gravity, as well as local pilots Garrett Hough and Ryan Slate in the S-63 Fools Gold. It is worth noting that Garrett Hough was awarded the prize for the most outstanding local pilot for his impressive performances.

In the F2500 class, John Shaw claimed victory with the F92 – Tenacity. He was closely followed by Eddie Kanfoush with the F-500 Centsless 16, who delivered an exceptional performance to secure second place. Guillaume Charette took third place with the F-44 Wave Dancer. These drivers demonstrated remarkable mastery of their boats.

The JSS class saw Jimmie Stewart (JSS10) take top honours by finishing first, closely followed by Louis-Alexandre Beaudoin (JSS113) and Sam Ewancio (JSS45), who both put in outstanding performances throughout the weekend.

n the H class, Tommy Shannon shone with his new H-306 boat and emerged as the winner. Marc Lecompte finished in second place with the H104 Gestion Unick, while local driver Tyler Kaddatz climbed to third place with the H-1 Ahhsum Secret. These drivers showcased great skill and delivered impressive performances.

Despite the absence of certain Grand Prix class drivers, fans were treated to exciting races. Ken Lupton, returning from New Zealand for the season, claimed victory behind the wheel of the GP-577 Lucas Oil. Kenneth Brodie, the driver of the GP-50 Freedom, celebrated his birthday by securing second place, just ahead of Jack Lupton with the GP-33 JLM Jack Lupton Motorsport. The absence of some boats in the Grand Prix class allowed these three winners to rise to the top of the overall HRL rankings.

The HRL circuit continues on July 14, 15 & 16 at the Régates de Valleyfield!

Results courtesy of Hydroplane Racing League