Dad Vail Regatta to move to Cooper River for 2023
A Schuylkill dredging project necessitated the move across the Ben Franklin Bridge.
The desperate need for dredging on the Schuylkill means the 2023 Jefferson Dad Vail Regatta is moving to the Cooper River in Pennsauken.
It’s hard to stage the world’s largest college regatta if Lane 6 barely has any water flowing, making the dredging project a must. A first dredging attempt was stopped mid-project, and while a second go began in August, organizers obviously don’t want to take any risks on timing.
» READ MORE: Dredging begins again on Schuylkill
Dad Vail organizing committee president Jim Hanna said the move for the May 12 and 13 races, the 84th edition of the Dad Vail, was made “to ensure successful production of the Regatta.”
The move to the Cooper, just over the Ben Franklin Bridge, won’t throw too many rowers, since so many have competed on that river in high school and college. The Cooper has regularly hosted the IRA national college championships and PSRA scholastic nationals, in addition to many college conference championships and high school races such as the Cooper Cup.
A Texas-based contractor, Dredgit, has begun dredging the portion of the Schuylkill in front of Boathouse Row — the first phase of a $13 million project that will later include the storied racecourse farther upstream.
» READ MORE: From 2021: Schuylkill dredge project halted as contractor says there’s too much debris in river, infuriating rowers
A previous dredge was halted in November 2020 when the contractor, South Jersey-based Atlantic Subsea, refused to continue, saying the river was filled with too much large debris, and prompted a long dispute with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which is managing the project.
“Hosting the Jefferson Dad Vail Regatta is a great honor for us and our internationally recognized race course at Cooper River Park,” Camden County Commissioner Jeff Nash said in a statement. “We are looking forward to hosting the thousands of world class athletes and the more than 30,000 fans who annually participate in the biggest collegiate regatta in the nation. We can’t wait to roll out the red carpet for the rowers, staff and fans in 2023.”
Staff writer Frank Kummer contributed to this article.