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Float Down Melbourne’s Yarra River With 2500 People This Summer

Float Down Melbourne’s Yarra River With 2500 People This Summer

Yarra River Inflatable Regatta 2017

Arguably the most Australian way to spend a day, the Inflatable Regatta is back and, this time, there’s space for 2500 sailors.

What is the Yarra River Inflatable Regatta, you ask? Now in its 10th year, the regatta started with 11 friends sailing (or, rather, floating) from Abbotsford Convent to Bridge Road in inflatable boats. Cut to 2017, and that number swelled to a mind-boggling 1500 punters.

Yarra River Inflatable Regatta 2017

Now, for the first time in 2018, almost double that blow up their boats for a leisurely float down the Yarra, making it the Southern Hemisphere’s biggest inflatable boating event, thank you very much.

On February 24, participants will set sail from Hawthorn’s Yarra Bank Reserve in hourly shifts and float 2km to the Inflatable Reserve at Scotsburn Street, starting at around 9:30am. Depending on the tide, the journey is expected to take between one and two hours, and there’ll be 130 volunteers on site to ensure no-one gets into trouble.

Yarra River Inflatable Regatta 2017

As an added bonus, the Regatta is going on tour 2018, with the first event outside Melbourne to be held on Geelong’s Barwon River. We’ll keep you posted on the details.

The Inflatable Regatta is open to everyone aged over 12 years, and ticket cost depends on how many people you’d like on your crew: single boats (one sailor) start at $60 and double boats (two sailors) start at $110. Tickets include boat, oar, and life jacket hire, sunscreen, a bag for rubbish collection and a waterproof bag for stuff like phones, wallets and sunglasses.

For an additional $10, you can own your boat – how good is that?!

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Yarra River Inflatable Regatta 2017

See you on the Yarra, mateys.

[media_embed]https://youtu.be/Se-BqS2vr8w[/media_embed]

This article has been updated to reflect a change in the event’s date. Those who’ve already purchased tickets can use them for the same session on the new event date. For more information, visit the website.

(All images courtesy of the Yarra River Inflatable Regatta)

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