Today was the Henley on Todd regatta. That sounds completely normal until you realize that the Todd River is dry. That then leave you wondering how interesting a boat race without water could possibly be. As it turns out a boat race in a dry river is very entertaining and one of the social highlights each year in Alice as well as a charity fund raiser.
Because we had to pack and get everything sorted out, we didn’t attend the races this year but were on hand for the parade.
There were 3 large self powered ships:
The Rotary Viking
The Australian Navy HMAS Courage
The Imparja Pirates
The big boats take part in a battle at the end of the event, armed with super soaker water guns and flour cannons. It is quite a spectacle to watch (preferable from a distance).
The majority of the day is filled with a wide variety of events that involve people running through the soft sand on the river bed carrying “boats” of very sizes.
I’ve heard it rumored that there were a few slabs of beer involved in the creation of this event.
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