Head of the Hooch

Already daydreaming about race day 🥰 A few months out and counting…

The lottery is open now ➡ get your crews submitted at regattacentral.com for your shot at a spot 📝

📸: Julie Kobin

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🚨 REGISTRATION IS OPEN! 🚨

The countdown to the 2026 Head of the H***h starts now 🚣‍♀️🚣‍♂️

Grab your crew, pick your events, and get ready to race on the Tennessee River this November!

📅 November 7–8, 2026
📍 Chattanooga, TN

A few dates to keep in mind:

🎟️ Registration opens: TODAY, August 31
⏰ Lottery & Para registration closes: October 4 at 11:59 p.m. ET
🏆 Lottery draw posted: On or before October 7
📝 Line-ups & waivers due: November 2

Have a Guaranteed Entry Code? Be sure to use it when submitting your entry during the standard registration window.

Ready to get on the H***h?

👉 Register now through RegattaCentral

https://www.regattacentral.com/v3/regatta/10529

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Tennessee lost one of its own this week. 💔

Dolly's roots ran through East Tennessee, and Nashville was where her career and her love story both started, she met Carl Dean outside a laundromat there the same day she arrived at 18. But the two of them actually married quietly in Ringgold, Georgia, just outside Chattanooga, in 1966, and returned there every year after to mark their anniversary. Fans are already gathering at her mural in Ringgold this week, leaving flowers for the girl who chose their small town for her wedding day.

Wherever she was rooted, she gave back to it.

Her Imagination Library, launched in her home county in 1995, has sent more than 300 million free books to kids around the world. When the 2016 Sevier County wildfires devastated her neighbours' homes, she built the My People Fund to get them direct cash support, no strings attached. When Hurricane Helene tore through East Tennessee in 2024, she personally wired $1 million within a week, with her businesses matching it.

At Head of the H***h, we're thinking of Dolly this weekend. Ringgold is right down the road from us, and she never stopped showing up for the place she called home.

Rest easy, Dolly. Thank you for never forgetting where you came from. 🌹

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An update for our community 📝

As reported by the Chattanooga Times Free Press, organizers have named Columbus, Georgia as the regatta's backup location if a workable solution can't be found to keep the race in Chattanooga. Nothing is decided yet, and a final call is expected by October 1st, with Chattanooga the preferred location.

Why: Ross's Landing is closing for 18 months for a $40 million riverfront redevelopment. The North Shore is the in-city alternative, but it adds an estimated $145,000 in costs and less room for boats and spectators.

Friends of the H***h President Kerry Brown told the Times Free Press: "They are our backup if we are unable to find a successful outcome in Chattanooga."

Columbus sits on the Chattahoochee, where the H***h began before moving to Chattanooga in 2005. The city offers wide sloping lawns, large parking lots, and a riverwalk running the full length of the waterway, and organizers say its ability to host high-quality water-based events would let the regatta grow. Columbus is already set to host the International Canoe Federation's 2028 Canoe Freestyle World Cup and 2029 Canoe Freestyle World Championship.

This regatta has called the Tennessee River home since 2005, bringing 2,200+ boats, 6,200+ athletes, and 20,000+ spectators to Chattanooga in 2025 alone, and nearly $12 million in economic impact.

It is our hope to stay here, but should we have to move, Columbus, GA will be where we go.

Full story: https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2026/aug/25/head-of-the-hooch-could-move-to-columbus-georgia/

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Head of the H***h could move to Columbus, Georgia, amid riverfront redevelopment | Chattanooga Times Free Press Organizers of one of the largest rowing regattas in the nation could choose Columbus, Georgia, over Chattanooga due to an impending closure of the downtown riverfront.

Sending our speediest thoughts to the athletes competing for USRowing at the 2026 World Rowing Championships! You make us all so proud! 🇺🇸🚣

And of course you’re all more than welcome to come race at the the H***h this November 😉

➡️ You can tune into the racing at worldrowing.com

📸: World Rowing / Benedict Tuffnel

We're so thankful to the community members who have taken the time to write in and share why they love the H***h so much.💛

"Of all the iterations this regatta has been through, the Chattanooga site is a favorite. As a Floridian, there is nothing like driving north in early November, getting safely through the Atlanta metro area, seeing hills in the distance and wondering what the City will offer for the current regatta (warm and sunny, blustery, snow, I have seen it all)…weather is the quintessential facet of the H***h. Mastering the course in whatever Mother Nature throws at you makes this a true Fall Head Race."

If you have a story of your own, we'd love to hear it, and we encourage you to send it directly to River City Company as well:

[email protected]

Please CC:

Mayor Weston Wamp, Hamilton County — [email protected]
Mayor Tim Kelly, City of Chattanooga — [email protected]
Head of the H***h President — [email protected]

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Is it the H***h yet?!

📢 Registration for Head of the H***h opens August 31st at 12:00am EST! 📢

Mark your calendars, and if you're on our guaranteed entry list, keep an eye on your inbox, because those codes go out today 👀

Register online at regattacentral.com once the window opens, and head to our website for all the details you need to plan your race weekend.

See you on the water!

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Just like Christopher Nolan intended 🚣

📸: Once again thanks to .kobin for the beautiful photos

Last week we asked you to guess the age of the youngest competitor at HOTH 2025. We said 14... turns out we were wrong, and a few of you called us on it (thank you for keeping us honest)!

The real answer: the youngest rower on the water was just 12 years old. 🚣

That's the magic of Head of the H***h, one course, thousands of competitors, and an age range that spans generations. Whether you're 12 or 82, there's a place for you in this regatta!

Did you guess closer than we did?