Whitewater Triple Crown Returns to Tariffville Gorge

This weekend world-class boaters will once again showcase their skills on the Farmington River as the Whitewater Triple Crown returns to the Tariffville Gorge.

The 5th annual Triple Crown aptly features three main events, wild water races, slalom and freestyle. The first involves pure speed, the second negotiating a series of gates judged by time and accuracy and the last pure acrobatics and tricks. 

The fun starts at 9 a.m. both Saturday and Sunday July 20 and 21.  

“We’ve got great water levels and warm water and are getting a lot of very good competitors,” said event organizer Andy Kuhlberg of Canton. “It should be a great weekend.”

Among the participants are renowned boaters Eric Jackson and Courtney Kerin of the Jackson kayaks team and Elaine Campbell, a member of the U.S. Freestyle and Wildwater teams. 

The event also corresponds with Whitewater Canoe and Kayak North American Junior Olympics Festival East. The championship slalom for the youth involved will be held Saturday. The festival also involved numerous activities this week and working with more experienced boaters Thursday and today. 

Spectators for the Triple Crown are asked to take the shuttle bus from the East Granby Center Shops at the corner of Routes 187 and 20 (3 Turkey Hills Road). While that may seem inconvenient, the shuttle, started last year, helps with the parking problems and long walks that spectators have dealt with in the past, Kuhlberg said.

The shuttles are a joint effort between the East Granby EDC and Z parking and will run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

See more at the event web site.