The spectacle of sleek boats flying across the waters of the Willamette River will return to Newberg with the advent of this year’s of the Memorial Day Boat Races.
Set for May 25-26 at Rogers Landing, the annual rite returns a long history of racing as this year's event marks the 76th year the races have been held in Newberg (races have only been suspended once during that time — in 2020 during the pandemic).
Twenty-two classes of boats will be on hand to race; 115 boats competed last year, with organizers expecting about the same this year.
“The slowest class is around 45 mph — it's the 9 to 12 years olds — and the fastest class we run now is about 80 mph,” said Don Schmidt, Newberg Boat Club member and race chairman.
The boats ply a course about three-quarters of a mile long, Schmidt added, with Turn 2 in front of the grandstands at the marine park.
“We have what is known as a racer's course; it is one of the toughest courses in the states to run,” he said. “We have about a third of the racers that race here are national champions, including last year's UH1 Unlimited national champion.”
Entrance to the races, which begin at 10 a.m. and continues through 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, is free, and there is parking atop the hill overlooking Rogers Landing. A shuttle van is available for those not wishing to tackle the steep hill. The park will be closed to the general public beginning at 5 p.m. on Friday and continue through midnight on Sunday.
The races are run rain or shine, Schmidt continued, “but a strong wind would stop the racing.”
“There is food available until about 3 in the afternoon,” Schmidt said. “Also, will have a shave ice cart.”
For more information about the event, visit the Newberg Boat Club's website at newbergboatclub.org .
A rich history
The Newberg Boat Club, which co-sponsors the race with the Columbia Outboard Racing Association, began formally holding races in 1949, but its likely unofficial racing started much earlier. It is billed as the second-oldest American Powerboat Association in the nation.
"We have evidence that boat racing was going on at Newberg as early as 1920," a former Newberg Boat Club official said. "At that time racing was a three-day event in conjunction with a city celebration which included a parade, a queen's contest and a ball."
The tradition officially began in 1948 with a marathon race from Independence to Newberg on the Willamette. Seventy-six years later, the event has changed considerably as it has morphed into a two-day event held Memorial Day weekend and boasts sanctioned races of stock outboards (hydroplanes and runabouts) up to the big draw of the event, the outboard performance craft, otherwise known as tunnel boats.
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