The Great Steamboat Race is an annual

steamboat A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. Steamboats sometimes use the ship prefix, prefix designation SS, S.S. or S/S ...

race, taking place the Wednesday before the first Saturday of May, three days before the

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-year ...

, as part of the

Kentucky Derby Festival The Kentucky Derby Festival is an annual festival held in Louisville, Kentucky, during the two weeks preceding the first Saturday in May, the day of the Kentucky Derby. The festival, Kentucky's largest single annual event, first ran from 1935 to ...

. The race was first run in 1963 and it takes place on the

Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...

in the span that runs between

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

and

Jeffersonville, Indiana Jeffersonville is a city and the county seat of Clark County, Indiana, Clark County, Indiana, United States, situated along the Ohio River. Locally, the city is often referred to by the abbreviated name Jeff. It lies directly across the Ohio River ...

. Until 2009, the race was traditionally between the ''

Belle of Louisville ''Belle of Louisville'' is a steamboat owned and operated by the city of Louisville, Kentucky, and moored at its downtown wharf next to the Riverfront Plaza/Belvedere during its annual operational period. The steamboat claims itself the "most wi ...

'' and the ''

Delta Queen The ''Delta Queen'' is an American sternwheel steamboat. She is known for cruising the major rivers that constitute the tributaries of the Mississippi River, particularly in the American South, although she began service in California on the ...

'', although other steamboats have participated. Since 2009, the ''Delta Queen'' has not participated due to ownership and legal issues, and the '' Belle of Cincinnati'' has taken its place in the competition. In 2012, the ''Belle of Louisville'' and ''Belle of Cincinnati'' were joined in the race by the ''

American Queen ''American Queen'' is said to be the largest river steamboat ever built. The ship was built in 1995 and is a six-deck recreation of a classic Mississippi riverboat, built by McDermott Shipyard for the ''Delta Queen'' Steamboat Company. Although ...

''.

Format

The race is scheduled annually as part of the

. The event pits at least two riverboats against each other in the span of the

that runs between

and

. Spectators can watch the event from the shore or aboard a competing vessel.

Traditional

The race began underneath the

George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge The George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge, known locally as the Second Street Bridge, is a four-lane cantilevered truss bridge crossing the Ohio River between Louisville, Kentucky and Jeffersonville, Indiana, that carries US 31. History Debate ...

, which served as the start/finish line. Both steamboats raced to Six Mile Island, where they turned around to return to the bridge. The distance is 14 miles, with boats averaging a speed of . The competitors were traditionally the ''Belle of Louisville'' and the ''Delta Queen'', although other additional or substitutionary vessels occasionally competed. The annual winner received the Golden Antlers, which would remain with the winner until the next race.

Modern

2008 was the last year to feature the ''Delta Queen'' as a competitor prior to it being renovated into a dry-dock hotel; the ''Belle of Cincinnati'' has subsequently entered the races in the ''Queen''s stead. In 2009, the event organizers changed the format prompting the ''Belle of Cincinnati''s Capt. Kerry Snowden to note that " ere are no rules in riverboat racing, so whatever goes, goes". The new format features a series of tasks that the crews must perform for points prior to the race. Because the ''Cincinnati'' is a diesel ship with more power, it is required to travel further to

Harrods Creek Harrods Creek is a neighborhood of Louisville, Kentucky centered near Harrods Creek at the intersection of River Road and Wolf Pen Branch Road. It is roughly bordered by the Ohio River to the west and US 42 to the east. Its ZIP code is 40027. Fo ...

. The boat with the most points after the race is determined to be the winner and is presented with the Silver Antlers, which take the place of the Golden Antlers that were retired when the ''Queen'' stopped competing. American Queen Eads Bridge

The 2012 race featured, for the first time since 2008, once again two steam-powered boats as competitors, as well as the diesel-powered '' Belle of Cincinnati''. The ''

'', returned to overnight steamboat service in April 2012, competed in the three-way race on May 2, 2012, and finished as second.

History

The first Great Steamboat Race was held in 1963 between the ''

'' and the ''

'', establishing the traditional rivalry until 2008 when the ''Queen'' was retired. The ''Queen'' won the first race. As of the ''Delta Queen''s last race in 2008, the ''Louisville'' won 22 races compared to the ''Queen''s 20 wins. The ''Louisvilles winning record compared to the ''Queen''s larger size and more powerful engines has helped fuel the unproven speculation that the race is predetermined.''Kentucky Curiosities'', by Vince Staten, pg 8.

Other competitors

Several other riverboats have participated in the race: * '' Julia Belle Swain'' competed in 1975 and 1976, the latter of which it won. * '' Natchez IX'' of the

New Orleans Steamboat Company New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

in 1982, which it won. * ''

Spirit of Jefferson Spirit of Jefferson is an independent, weekly newspaper covering Charles Town and Jefferson County, West Virginia Jefferson County is located in the Shenandoah Valley in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. It is the easternmost county of ...

'' raced in 1999 in the ''Louisville''s stead while the ''Louisville'' was recovering from sabotage. It is diesel-powered and has been used as an observation boat for the race. * '' Belle of Cincinnati'' was a contestant in 2002, and followed as an observation boat in latter years. Since 2009, it has replaced the ''Delta Queen'' as the annual competitor. It is diesel-powered and has also been used as an observation boat for the race. * ''

'' competed for the first time in 2012, in a 3-way race with the ''Louisville'' and ''Cincinnati'', finishing 2nd. * ''

American Duchess ''American Duchess'' is a river cruise paddlewheeler owned and operated by American Queen Steamboat Company. It is the third addition to the AQSC fleet and is advertised as being the most luxurious option of the line's vessels. The riverboat's iti ...

'' competed for the first time in 2018, in a 3-way race with the ''Cincinnati'' and ''Louisville'', finishing 1st. Popular viewing areas for the race are the old

Water Tower A water tower is an elevated structure supporting a water tank constructed at a height sufficient to pressurize a water distribution system, distribution system for potable water, and to provide emergency storage for fire protection. Water towe ...

in Louisville, and along Utica Pike in Jeffersonville, especially near Duffy's Landing.

Results

References

Curious Travelers Curiosity (from Latin '' cūriōsitās'', from ''cūriōsus'' "careful, diligent, curious", akin to ''cura'' "care") is a quality related to inquisitive thinking such as exploration, investigation, and learning, evident by observation in humans ...

May 1, 2007 Courier-Journal article
Features a map of the race.

''American Queen'' Web site

''Belle of Louisville'' Web site

''Belle of Cincinnati Web site''

''Delta Queen'' Web site
{{Louisville Steamboats of the Ohio River Kentucky Derby Recurring sporting events established in 1963 1963 establishments in Kentucky Water sports competitions Boat races