CELINA, Ohio (WLIO) - Over the weekend, Veterans Forever hosted the Governor's Cup Regatta, giving people in Celina the chance to watch some hydroplane racing.
The two-day event featured 60 boat-racing teams competing to capture the checkered flag. Boats reached speeds of nearly 150 miles per hour at the event.
Saturday was the Eastern Divisional Championship with the American Power Boat Association, which offered points to participating racers. The next day was the official Governor's Cup Regatta, which made its return last year after a ten-year hiatus.
Organizers said the support for the event last year was overwhelming, and that the return of the event was part of an effort to help bring more people to Grand Lake.
"We got so many people recreationally using this lake. It's just nice to bring everybody in the community back to this lake. The community loves this. I think we had over 10,000 people here yesterday just to watch boat races and enjoy the craft and food vendors. We got WCSM live on the radio announcing the race, and we're getting a lot of good feedback about the race being here," said Richard McNaughton, treasurer for the Governor's Cup Regatta.
Admission was free for the event, and those in attendance could watch the races and shop at vendors offering food, crafts, and shirts.
