At Three Rivers Regatta, no boats doesn’t mean no fun

At this year’s Fourth of July boat racing event, there were no boat races.

Regatta organizers, including John Bonassi, had originally planned to host jet ski stunts and a formula one powerboat race, but because of debris cluttering the rivers near the Point Downtown, EQT Three Rivers Regatta closed the rivers to all boat racing events.

The Regatta has been an annual Pittsburgh tradition filled with live entertainment, food, and boat races for at least 38 years. From July 3-5, around 500,000 people came to the Regatta, but just for the on-land events. Competitors and spectators from across the U.S. and other countries came to watch the cancelled boating competition.

Bonassi, chair of the Regatta’s board, said Pittsburgh’s Regatta is unmatched.

“There is no comparison [to our Regatta],” said Bonassi, who has been a member of the board for 25 years.

The Regatta’s three-day event costs between $700,000 and $1 million, Bonassi said, and often draws similarly sized crowds. Even so, the cancellation of the boat racing did not stop Bonassi, nor other spectators, from coming down to the event.

Jim Allen, a Pittsburgh native and vendor for the Wild River Kettle Korn concession stand during the event, was one of those people.

Allen, 57, is no stranger to the event, as he said he’s worked at the Regatta almost every year — he recalled coming to watch the boat races for years during his youth.

“I have been coming here since I was a kid. I’m old,” he said.

Along with the event cancelations, organizers also barred boat-owners from using the waters for personal use.

Jennifer Stapel was one attendee who couldn’t use her boat as a result of the dangerous water conditions. While she was disappointed, she didn’t let the cancellations ruin her weekend.

“I love coming to [the Regatta]. I hang out with friends and family,” said Stapel, an advisor in Pitt’s psychology department.

Carolina Caidena, 28, who is from Mexico and is visiting Pittsburgh for an observationship in the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, was upset by the lack of water activities at the Regatta.

“I was disappointed. The only thing I wanted to see was the boat race since it is the most important part. The river doesn’t look dangerous,” she said.