Great Steamboat Race
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The Great Steamboat Race is an annual event, taking place the Wednesday before the first Saturday of May, three days before the Kentucky Derby as part of the Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is normally between the Belle of Louisville and the Delta Queen, although other steamboats have participated. The first race was in 1963.
The race begins underneath the George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge. Both steamboats race to Six Mile Island, where they turn around to return to the bridge, which is also the finish line. The distance is 14 miles, with an average speed of seven miles per hour (11.27 km/h) for each boat.
The Delta Queen won the first four races, after which its owners refused to race again until the Belle could be more competitive. The Queen is a larger boat, with more powerful engines. It has been speculated that the race is predetermined, although no public proof exists. [1]
As of 2007, where the Belle of Louisville won in a controversial decision by the judges, the Belle has had 22 wins over 19 wins for the Delta Queen. The winner each years gets to have the "Golden Antlers" until the next race.
- Julia Belle Swain in 1975 and 1976 (the latter of which it won)
- Natchez IX of the New Orleans Steamboat Company in 1982 (which it won).
- Spirit of Jefferson raced in 1999 in the Belle's stead while the Belle was recovering from sabotage
- Belle of Cincinnati was a contestant in 2002, and followed as an observation boat in latter years.
The previous two are not actually steamboats, as they run by diesel power instead of steam, and now go along with the actual steamboats as a venue for spectators.
Popular viewing areas for the race are the old Water Tower in Louisville, and along Utica Pike in Jeffersonville, especially near Duffy's Landing.
[edit] Results
| Results | ||
| 1963 | Delta Queen | |
| 1964 | Belle of Louisville | |
| 1965 | Delta Queen | |
| 1966 | Delta Queen | |
| 1967 | N/A | high water prevented race from happening |
| 1968 | Delta Queen | |
| 1969 | Belle of Louisville | |
| 1970 | Belle of Louisville | |
| 1971 | Belle of Louisville | |
| 1972 | Belle of Louisville | |
| 1973 | Delta Queen | |
| 1974 | Delta Queen | |
| 1975 | Belle of Louisville | |
| 1976 | Julia Belle Swain | |
| 1977 | Delta Queen | |
| 1978 | Delta Queen | |
| 1979 | Belle of Louisville | |
| 1980 | Belle of Louisville | |
| 1981 | Belle of Louisville | |
| 1982 | Natchez-New Orleans | three boat race |
| 1983 | Belle of Louisville | |
| 1984 | Delta Queen | Belle of Louisville received a bomb threat and had to pull into Cox's Park, evacuating 613 passengers[2] |
| 1985 | Delta Queen | |
| 1986 | Delta Queen | |
| 1987 | Belle of Louisville | |
| 1988 | Belle of Louisville | |
| 1989 | Delta Queen | |
| 1990 | Delta Queen | |
| 1991 | Belle of Louisville | |
| 1992 | Delta Queen | |
| 1993 | Belle of Louisville | |
| 1994 | Delta Queen | |
| 1995 | Belle of Louisville | |
| 1996 | Belle of Louisville | Race shortened due to high water levels on the Ohio.[3] |
| 1997 | Delta Queen | |
| 1998 | Belle of Louisville | |
| 1999 | Spirit of Jefferson | |
| 2000 | Belle of Louisville | |
| 2001 | Delta Queen | |
| 2002 | Belle of Louisville | Belle of Cincinnati "initially won", but was disqualified when "it was found out" that it was diesel powered, and thus not a steamboat. |
| 2003 | Delta Queen | three boat race |
| 2004 | Belle of Louisville | |
| 2005 | Belle of Louisville | Delta Queen was unable to come to Louisville due to high water levels on the Ohio.[4] |
| 2006 | Delta Queen | |
| 2007 | Belle of Louisville | The Delta Queen arrived at the finish line ahead of the Belle by 1.5 boatlengths, but because the Queen turned before it got to its turnaround buoy, the Belle was given the victory.[5] |
| 2008 | Delta Queen | The Belle of Louisville arrived at the finish line ahead of the Delta Queen, but because the Belle turned before it got to its turnaround buoy, the Queen was given the victory. 3 Boat Race. |
[edit] References
- ^ Kentucky Curiosities, by Vince Staten, pg 8.
- ^ BOMB THREAT SCUTTLES DERBY STEAMBOAT RACE Lexington Herald-Leader May 3, 1984 B1
- ^ HIGH WATER SHORTENS GREAT STEAMBOAT RACE.(NEWS) - The Kentucky Post (Covington, KY) - HighBeam Research
- ^ Belle Of Louisville Wins Great Steamboat Race - Sports News Story - WLKY Louisville
- ^ Derby Fun Blog 2007
- May 2 WHAS11 article 2007 results as well as details of judges decision
- Official Site There is also an additional Official History page
- Brightcove review of the race Done by Curious Travelers
- May 1, 2007 Courier-Journal article Features a map of the race.
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