Kimberly Wipfler file photo
The Tuff Girls 1, led by drummer Livia Doran and captain Christa Doran, competing in the 2022 regatta.
The Tuff Girls are back and ready to row.
The team — teams, actually — of rowers from a local fitness center will seek to win more trophies this Saturday as they lower their paddles into New Haven Harbor to compete in the eighth annual Dragon Boat Regatta.
The festive event takes place at the Canal Dock Boathouse (475 Long Wharf Dr.), featuring 13 teams taking turns competing in races along with food trucks and a deejay. It runs from 8 a.m. through 12:30 p.m., culminating with an awards ceremony. Volunteers and rowers are still needed; click here for more info.
The Tuff Girls have participated in the event ever year since its inception, as have crews from Assa Abloy. (Read about one such year here.) It reflects the role the restored boat house has played in connecting New Haveners to the water as part of a broader effort to reimagine Long Wharf, as well as the work of New Haven Community Boating, the event’s organizer, to involve people in water-related activity year-round.
Community Boating President Steven Machesney talked about those efforts and about Saturday’s event with board member Doug Hausladen and “volunteer extraordinaire” Marna Wilber on Wednesday’s edition of WNHH FM’s “LoveBabz LoveTalk.” Click on the video below to watch.