Burley Regatta Postponed

Floodwaters have forced postponement of the annual Burley speedboat regatta for the first time in its 21 years.

It will take place July 11-13, instead of the regularly scheduled weekend of June 27-29.

“A month should give us some time to dry out,” Cassia County Sheriff’s Capt. Terry Bingham said.

“It’ll be basically the same: same boats, same people.”

The river has been closed to all boating since last week, because boat wakes in water this high can damage riverbanks.

Although postponing the regatta may cause schedule conflicts for ome racers, committee chairman Mark Maier still expects more than 60 teams from all over the country.

Lance Faulkner, a racer from Provo, Utah, said the delay probably wouldn’t keep many racers out of the event.

“This gives us more time to prepare,” he said.

“After all, Burley is the Super Bowl of flat-bottom sprint racing.”

The regatta attracts 5,000 people and brings more than $3.5 million into the area.