Charlie Butt Regatta

History

The Charlie Butt Regatta is a Virginia Scholastic Rowing Association (VASRA) Regatta held annually on the Potomac in honor of legendary coach Charlie Butt. Charlie was the founder of Washington-Lee High School’s Crew program in 1949, coached our crew team for 41 years, and helped to organize many of the rowing programs in our area. This is our signature regatta of the season, so we hope parents and families can attend and participate. 

For this special day, W-L Boosters will set up along the banks of Washington Harbor where we’ll host alumni, families, and friends to watch the race. Other participating high school crew teams will have their tents closer to Washington Harbor and Thompson’s Boat Club. The Boosters may also host families and alumni at Columbia Island Marina later in the day.                                 

Schedule

The approximate time of the regatta is about 8:30AM to 3:30PM. Coaches will tell rowers what time to report (typically at least two hours before their race time). Final race schedule should be emailed out the Friday before race day.

Transportation

There is NO TRANSPORTATION TO COLUMBIA ISLAND FROM W-L. It is a good idea to plan ahead and see if you can arrange a carpool to take your rower(s) down to the marina. 

Parking

Due to the large number of schools participating in this regatta, there will be a lot of spectators attending and watching along Washington Harbor in Georgetown. Plan ahead for parking.

There are several public garages on Water Street. More information on parking in Georgetown can be found here.

Some park in Rosslyn and walk across Key Bridge (about 20 minutes).

You can also consider using the trail that runs along Langston Blvd to the Key Bridge to bike, jog, or walk to the event.

Lastly, consider just taking Uber or Lyft.