**note to parents ...we will post the info here specific to each regatta as they get closer on our schedule.
Regatta Locations and Directions:
Directions:I-64 exit 279 toward the airport.
At Azalea Garden Road, go left. Turn right into Norfolk Botanical Gardens.
Pass through the post/entrance, pay $5.00 to park and go to the end of the road to park in the main lot by the visitor's center. Do not attempt to park on the road leading into the gardens. They may tow your car. The dock and regatta site is immediately to the left of the gate, but you likely won't be allowed to park there.
Newcomer Notes:Norfolk Botanical Gardens requires you to park by the visitor center and walk down the hill or use the tram. This is a smallish area, but mostly flat with paved areas. There are outbuilding bathrooms (permanent) and a soda machine. There are not, traditionally, any food vendors at this regatta but there is a cafe at the Gardens. If you are a member of the gardens you may use all of your normal privileges - including parking. All visitors may tour the gardens while they are at the regatta.
Driving time is approximately 2-2.5 hours. Scheduled departure time for rowers is 4:30 AM. Parking is approximately one half mile offsite, but a shuttle is provided. Large bulky items (such as large coolers) are allowed, but can be inconvenient due to limited space on buses. Because of the location, weather can be unpredictable - and colder than one might expect. Blankets and layered clothing are advised. Bathroom facilities are the temporary kind and can be (ahem) short of supplies. Better to bring your own. Limited food choices are available (sometimes better than others). The road to the parking lot is paved, the actual parking lot is not. No seating is available - bring chairs. Viewing rails along the wharf are excellent locations for taking pictures.
Notes from the Prez 4/18 about Mathews:
Info from a past parent.
1- The regatta site is a little chunk of land that sticks out in the middle of the river. The temperature can go from 40 to 80 in a matter of minutes. With this can come sun, wind, or torrents of rain. I've been there twice when we had all of the above in a matter of 3 hours. Come prepared! Bring layers and rain wear. Don't judge the weather on what it is in Chesapeake. Mathews is like being on another planet!
2- There is a really long, narrow pier that you can walk out on to watch the races. It's the closest view you will ever have of your kid racing.
3- The food is awesome! Breakfast and lunch and they are famous for their crab cake sandwiches. Come hungry and eat a lot. All the profit goes towards maintaining the wharf.
4- Mathews is our toughest competitor and you will see some very determined faces in our varsity rowers who have both won and lost against Mathews. Mathews is the one team that keeps us from getting cocky! One of their boats was the National Champions last year.
5- Parking is in a field .5 miles from the wharf. There are shuttle buses that will take you down or you can walk. Parking is $5 per car and that money goes to offset the cost of the regatta. Please pay it willingly and graciously. If it has rained at all in the last week, the field will be MUDDY! Wear sturdy shoes that can get wet or muddy. I recommend hiking boots. No one should ever wear sandals or flip flops to Matthews and that goes for siblings too.
6- Bathrooms are port-a-potties! Yipee! While they do a decent job of trying to keep them stocked with paper and hand sanitizer, they don't always succeed. Come prepared.
7- Mathews usually has cool tee shirts. You order them, they make them right there (like at Cox) and you pick them up. Every rower will want one. I can't remember the cost. I think around $15, but it may be $20.
8- It's a solid two hour drive. The directions are on the website or you can mapquest it. The address is 1070 William Wharf Road, Matthews, VA 23109
9- Don't even THINK ABOUT trying to drive down to the wharf to drop stuff or sneak a parking place. The site is small and it gets VERY crowded with trailers and rowers and spectators. The road is narrow and with the buses going down turning around is a challenge. If you can't get it on the bus with you I recommend you leave it home. Hope this helps!DIRECTIONS TO REGATTAS IN MATHEWS COUNTY:
Take 64 to Route 17(J. Clyde Morris Blvd)exit.
Follow Route 17 North through Gloucester County.
Turn right on Route 17 Business after you pass Wal-Mart.
Turn right onto Route 14 at the first stop light.
Follow Route 14 until you reach a stop sign (about 12 miles).
Turn right onto Route 14/Route 198.
Stop at the first stop sign.
Turn right again ( Hardee's on the corner).
Drive about 2 miles and turn right on Route 614.
Follow to the end of Williams Wharf.
Parking is in an open field (often muddy) and a fee ($10 I think) is charged.
A shuttle bus runs the rowers and parents in to the regatta area.
Directions to Occoquan:
Take I-64 West towards Richmond
Take 295 North toward Washington DC
Pick up 95N toward DC
Stay on 95
Take the Occoquan Exit 160B off 95.
Travel apprx. 4 miles and turn left on Hampton Road.
After 8/10 of a mile, the road will fork slightly, go left on Van Thompson Road.
Follow Van Thompson to the entrance of Sandy Run Regional Park. There was much construction here in the fall, so recommend having a map handy in the event there are still some detoursFollow until someone insists you stop and cough up a parking fee of anywhere from $10 -$20. You're there.
Special Information for those who've never been to Occoquan: Regattas are a lot like camping only without the sleep and the smores. First of all - it's about 3 or 3.5 hours drive. The best place to stop (if you must) is the Pilot Mart on I-95. It's a truck stop so the gas is cheap, you can buy anything you want and they have clean bathrooms. There is food at the regatta site, but you might want to pack a small cooler if you have one. Just bring enough for you and any non-rower you're traveling with. If you have an old backpack with wheels, that's even better. Parking (depending on how many schools are there) can either be very easy or downright distant (with bus service to the site). It's better if you don't have to lug a cooler around - if you can manage something with wheels you're ahead of the game. Speaking of parking - it may cost anywhere from $5 to $20 to park. Cash. I've rarely seen a regatta where the weather stayed consistent. Plan on driving rain, scorching sun and chilly wind all on the same day. Layers work best. So do blankets. Bring a camp chair - you can get them for around $7 at any discount store. Seating is sketchy and you'll be on your feet for about 6 hours unless you bring a chair. If you plan to hike to the bleachers, you won't need the chair. There is a shuttle that charges $1 each way. Binoculars help if you want to catch a glimpse of your child rowing. Spring sprint races will bring your rower's boat with a few yards of where you're standing. Fall races mean you'll be picking your child out from a distance. The Occoquan site has one pretty steep hill and a rocky trail to and from the bleachers. There are no pets allowed. They almost always sell regatta t-shirts and the kids usually want to buy them. Those run around $14. Parents traditionally send food to the regatta that is shared by all the rowers. You should be receiving your food assignment from Lisa Adams. Because everyone sends a little, the rowers needn't worry about eating expensive regatta vendor food. They'll be dining in our food tent instead. If you're driving, you might want to throw in some old towels and a trash bag along with your travel gear. If the kids are wet, they're muddy and it can be hard on your auto interior. To that end, tell your rower to bring a change of clothes or at least a couple of pairs of dry socks. They'll thank you later. If you're sending your rower with another parent, please make sure you give them enough cash to buy meals on the road.There are bathrooms onsite, at least one is handicapped accessible. Rarely do they have purell in the dispensers. Bring your own.
- Head of Lafayette - Click link for directions, schedule and information
