One of the strangest annual sailing races in the world will takes place on 16 September. Strange, because there’s no water for over 1000
kilometres

The Henley-on-Todd Regatta is situated almost in the exact centre of
Australia.

In 1962 the Alice Springs Meteorological Bureau proposed they
hold an actual regatta along the lines of the famous Henley-on-Thames, a
race between Cambridge and Oxford Universities. The idea was taken up by
the Rotary club of Alice Springs.

Each year a different charity will receive 10% of all profits raised
from the Henley-On-Todd event.

Watching seemingly sane people race in bottomless ‘eights’, ‘Oxford tubs’,
‘bath tubs’ and yachts through the deep coarse sand of the Todd River
provides an unique spectacle amongst world sporting events. The
multi-event program attracts many local and international participants
from the audience who often finish up on world TV news paddling canoes
with sand shovels and in ‘land lubber’ events like filling empty 44 gallon
drums with sand.