Rowers will race the length of Lake Elmo this summer during championships that are expected to draw 350 competitors from the United States and Canada.
The 106th Northwestern International Rowing Association Championship Regatta will be held Aug. 21-22 on Lake Elmo, in the city of the same name in Washington County.
The rowing course will run 2,000 meters, almost the full lake from north to south. Seven rowing lanes will each be 15 meters wide.
"I think Lake Elmo works particularly well for regattas because it's long and narrow," said John Elholm, the county's parks director.
The lake's popular public boat launch will be closed for the event, Washington County commissioners decided Tuesday. Rowing competitors will use the launch for a staging area, Elholm told commissioners.
The launch, in Lake Elmo Park Reserve, has been closed for past events such as the Twin Cities Olympic Festival's rowing and kayaking competitions in 1990, Elholm said. The Lake Elmo City Council approved the regatta on April 7 and club members also met with residents.
The regatta might need a third day to finish if foul weather delays races the first two days, organizers said.
Teams participating in the regatta will come from several Midwestern states and also the Canadian provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Ontario. The sponsor, Minnesota Boat Club, will transform the lake with tents, flags, buoys and portable docks for use during the event.
