May 10, 2005 – For a day of fun on the water all you need is to find a spot on a team at this year's annual Royak Regatta.
The event, sponsored by the V.I. Council of the Boy Scouts of America, runs from noon to 6 p.m. Sunday at the Divi Carina Bay Hotel on St. Croix, and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Magens Bay Beach on St. Thomas.
"It is a fantastic, exciting, challenging, and adventurous outdoor activity," scout executive Charley Tinsley said Tuesday.
The entry fee for each six-person team runs $250. Registration forms are available at Boy Scout offices on both St. Thomas and St. Croix. You may also register the day of the event.
Tinsley said he expects 10 to 20 teams to participate at each event.
He said the teams must be co-ed. Five of the six members participate in the event, with the sixth serving as an alternate.
The Boy Scouts provides the boat and, keeping safety in mind, all participants must wear a life vest.
The royak is a cross between a rowboat and a kayak that was originally designed to facilitate scuba diver.
"It's a unique craft," Tinsley said.
Tinsley said four teams at a time paddle a triangular course about the size of a football field. Teams are divided into junior youth for ages 11 to 14, senior youth for ages 15 to 17, and adults 18 and over. The event is open to any sort of team, including work, school, and church groups, or a bunch of friends who got together, thought up a name, and decided to paddle.
Winners get commemorative plaques, but all participants will receive a t-shirt and lunch.
Tinsley said the event is expected to raise about $5,000 to $7,000 on each island.
He said it is not the organization's major fundraiser, but serves as a public relations event to get word about the Boy Scouts out into the community.
He said it was a good event for families to attend while cheering on their favorite teams.
Call 774-2752 on St. Thomas or 772-0934 on St. Croix.