CELINA, Ohio (WLIO)— After nearly a decade off the water, the Governor’s Cup Regatta made its long-awaited return to Grand Lake this weekend — but high winds forced organizers to pause Saturday’s opening day.
The highly anticipated event was set to launch Saturday, but strong gusts kept race boats docked. Still, visitors took advantage of the dry start by exploring the venue, sampling food from local vendors, and getting an up-close look at the race boats.
“This weekend, we have boats from the West Coast, actually, that came in to participate in this race,” said Craig Obringer, founder of Veterans Forever. “We’ll start off — they get craned into the water, they go out there, they do their heat laps. We have five different classes, and once they’re done, they get craned out and the new set comes in.”
Obri
The highly anticipated event was set to launch Saturday, but strong gusts kept race boats docked.
nger said community support has been strong, with local sponsors raising $78,000 to bring the regatta back. Weather permitting, races are now scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Sunday, with heats continuing throughout the day.
