August 5, 2024, 10:00pm Update - RESULTS POSTED

The official results have been posted to the Results page. Five new course records were set this year in the Womens Quad, Mixed Quad, Boys Junior Double, Mixed Coastal Double, and Womens 1x - all on the Short Course. The Boys Junior Double record time, set by Theodore Dischler and Victor Dalesio from Los Gatos Rowing Club, is the fasts overall time in a double ever on the Short Course, breaking a record that has stood since 2005.

August 3, 2024, 7:45pm Update - ROW

We have cleared the second Row/No-Row decision point and are currently ROW for the regatta. Air quality is within specs, the thunderstorms have left the area, and the forecast looks good. The final decision point will be tomorrow, August 4th, at 7am PDT.

August 3, 2024, 12:30pm Update - Stormy Weather

We had some thunderstorms move in yesterday evening, leading to bumpy water, overcast skies, and lightning this morning during course practice. Fortunately, that system seems to be moving out, and the forecast shows clear and calm tomorrow morning. The smoke has left the basin and does not look like it will return before tomorrow morning.

We'll post another update this evening.

August 2, 2024, 8:45pm Update - ROW

We have cleared the first Row/No-Row decision point and are currently ROW for the regatta. Air quality is within specs and the forecast looks good. The next decision point will be tomorrow, August 3rd, at 5pm PDT.

August 2, 2024 Update - AIR QUALITY IMPROVING

BWe woke up this morning to the best air quality we've had in three days. The smoke had mostly cleared out of the Tahoe Basin and the readings showed low double-digts (mostly 20s and 30s).

Hopefully it holds. Our first Row/No-Row decision point is at 5pm this afternoon. Unless there is some sudden change in the forecast (unlikely), our status heading into tomorrow will be ROW.
 

August 1, 2024 Update - SMOKE UPDATE

Bad News and Good News...

Bad News: Air quality is quite a bit worse today than yesterday, with PM2.5 counts in the 130s and 140s. This is right on the edge of the acceptable level (<150) for hosting the regatta.


Good News: The prevailing winds are from the south and the current forecast shows the plume of smoke from the Park Fire that turned southeast toward Tahoe over the past couple days breaking down and starting to push back to north:

It is definitely too early to tell if the smoke will clear (pardon the expression) so we have good conditions on Sunday, but we currently estimate the likelihood of a "Go" decision at around 75%.

More Good News: The weather forecast still shows clear skies, warm temps, and NO WIND at race time:

July 31, 2024 Update - SMOKE ALERT

Smoke from the Park Fire arrived in the Tahoe Basin overnight resulting in a decline in air quality. We are still well below our threshold of 150 on the US EPA PM2.5 AQI scale, so if the regatta were scheduled for today, we would have gone forward.

Here is a very good forecast site. It only shows predicted smoke movement over the next 24 hours, but it should give you a good idea of how things are evolving.

July 30, 2024 Update - Forecast Holding

Five days to go! The winds we had over the weekend are gone, and the forecast continues to get a little better every day. If this holds, we'll have clear skies, no wind (completely becalmed!), and 60 degrees F at race time:

Even better news is the very favorable wind forecast on Friday and Saturday, with max speeds of 9mph both days.

The health advisory for the recent sewage spill in Carnelian Bay has been further reduced to now only cover a very small section of beach adjacent to Sierra Boat and Gar Woods. We expect no impact from this event on the regatta.

July 25, 2024 Update - First Forecast

We are now within the ten-day forecast window for the regatta. The initial forecast looks great - approximately 60 degrees F at race time, with almost no wind:

July 24, 2024 Update 2 - Bow Numbers

For the first time ever, we will be issuing official bow number decals to all competitors. Gone are the days of electrical tape bow numbers; may they never return. Your decals (set of 2, one for each side of your boat) will be provided to you after your boat has been inspected and cleared by the Safety Committee, and will serve as your ticket to the starting line. Only boats with official North Tahoe Regatta bow numbers attached will be permitted to race.

Note that the bow numbers are temporary, removable vinyl decals. They are easily removed, leave behind no residue, and will not damage your boat in any way. If you have any issues with this, please refer to Rule Number 10.

July 24, 2024 Update - Overnight Boat Storage at TVRA

We have confirmed with North Tahoe Public Utility District (NTPUD), the owners of Tahoe Vista Recreation Area, that we may store boats on the property overnight before the regatta. However, please note that you do so at your own risk. Neither the regatta organizers nor TVRA are going to provide any security. Moreover, camping overnight on the TVRA property is forbidden, so while you may leave your boat there, you may not stay overnight there yourself. Neither NTPUD nor RowTahoe assume any responsibilty whatsoever for damage, theft, or vandalism of your equipment if you choose to do this.

July 23, 2024 Update - Conditions Cooperating So Far

12 days to go. The weather looks good so far, but we're still out of the 10-day forecast window. As you can see from this image, we can expect clear skies and warm temps - figure around 50 degrees or so at race time, rising into the 60s or even 70s by the time the Half Marathoners wrap up.

Remember, due to the high UV exposure up here at 6,225 feet, temps in the sun will feel 10 degrees warmer than the same temp at sea level. It's going to be warm, so please hydrate and bring sunscreen.

Air quality looks pretty good, too:

Lightning storms over the past few days have sparked several fires in the Sierra Nevada. Of particular concern is the Gold Complex fire north of us in Plumas County. It's not big yet, but it could get there, especially with the high winds forecast later this week. We're keeping an eye on it. The good news is that we've had no smoke in the Tahoe Basin yet this year.

Finally, the public health advisory in Carnelian Bay due to the recent sewage spill remains in effect due to high levels of bacteria detected in water samples taken over the weekend. We don't expect this to have any effect on the regatta, but we're watching it as well.
 

July 21, 2024 Update - Two Weeks to Go!

With two weeks left until the 23rd annual North Tahoe Regatta, all systems are go! We are looking forward to a great regatta. We continue to monitor the weather, air quality, and other issues that might impact our ability to hold a successful event. To that end:

Weather: So far, we've had mostly great weather conditions this Summer. However, Lake Tahoe reminded us last weekend that things can change quickly. A series of large thunderstorms moved through the area on the afternoon of Saturday, July 13th, creating extremely treacherous conditions on the lake, with high winds and crashing waves. By late Saturday night, the storms had passed and the wind died down to almost zero, but the next morning (Sunday, July 14th) there were still large swells on the north shore. Had the regatta been scheduled for last weekend, it would have been canceled, given how bad things were Saturday evening.

We're still outside of the 10-day forecast window, so it's impossible to say at this point if a similar event might occur in two weeks. The current forecast shows clear skies, normal wind patterns, and no chance of preciption through Tuesday the 30th. We'll watch the forecast very closely and keep you posted.

Smoke: Again, we've been quite fortunate so far this season. There have been some small fires over the past few weeks that were close enough to cause haze in the Tahoe Basin, but none of them pushed air quality into the "red" zone. Again, no way to predict what happens over the next couple weeks, but so far, so good.

Sewage Spill in Carnelian Bay: Finally, two days ago a contractor performing work in Carnelian Bay, CA, accidentally struck and ruptured the main sewage "export" pipe from the area. 125,000 gallons of raw sewage spilled, of which 85,000 made it into the lake. As a result, the beaches in the Carnelian Bay area are closed due to a public health advisory.

A quick look at the map shows that the Long Course return leg passes the affected beaches, although the closest the course line gets to shore in that area is still several hundred meters away. To be clear, neither the Tahoe Vista Recreation Area nor Kings Beach are affected by the advisoryin any way. Summer recreation continues as normal at these venues. We are, of course, monitoring the situation closely, and will take appropriate action if the advisory area spreads, but we do NOT currently expect this to impact the regatta.

Please stay tuned for more updates. We will be posting regularly between now and August 4th.

February 28, 2024 Update - New Venue!

We are thrilled to announce that we have secured a brand new venue for this year's regatta! Given the high water level last year, we couldn't use the beach at the Crown Motel, and the Secline Beach location is just too small for our growing event, so we have made the decision to move one mile west to the Tahoe Vista Recreation Area.

This new location is PERFECT for the North Tahoe Regatta, with ample beach access, a large plaza for registration and concessions, on-site toilets, and ample parking - including TRAILER PARKING! Stay tuned for more details on how to reserve parking.

Note: The venue change does NOT affect the courses in any way. We will continue to use the existing Short Course, Long Course, and Ultra Long Course routes with the same start/finish line in front of the Crown Motel.