The Burton Beach Rowing Club (BBRC) will host the annual Burton Beach Invitational Regatta, presented by Windermere, on Sunday, March 20, at Jensen Point.

Junior rowers from Washington and Oregon will compete in 1500 meter sprints on Quartermaster Harbor throughout the day.

“We’re excited to be hosting so many clubs from around the region here on Vashon,” said BBRC Coach Richard Parr. “Our regatta is one of the first of the season, and everyone is excited to get back out on the water and compete.”

The event will attract more than 500 rowers and spectators to the island from ten or more clubs including the island’s two clubs, Burton Beach Rowing Club and the Vashon Island Rowing Club. Other Puget Sound area clubs already registered include the Olympia Area Rowing Association, Pocock (Seattle), Seattle Prep, and Renton. Four additional clubs that will make a longer trek include Oregon Rowing Unlimited (Portland), Vancouver Lake, Rogue Rowing (Ashland), and South Eugene.

“It’s great to be able to host rowers back on the island again after a three-year hiatus,” said the regatta organizer, Heather Carmody. “Our young rowers are excited to host an event here on Vashon and I know other clubs are excited to come to visit us on the island.”

This will be the fourth time the regatta has been organized on the island. The 2020 event was one of the first regattas in the nation to be canceled due to Covid. Racing also took place here in 2018 and 2019.

“I’m excited to see Quartermaster Harbor filled with racing shells again,” said Parr. “We’re lucky to row every day in one of the most beautiful spots in the area and it’s great to be able to share that with other clubs and bring this back as an annual tradition.”