With Beaufort’s promenade closed, event will be held in Port Royal
By Amber Hewitt
The Island News
After 13 years at Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park, DragonBoat Beaufort’s annual Race Day is moving to Port Royal.
The decision was made official at the DragonBoat Beaufort annual meeting held on Monday, Nov. 17, 2025.
Dragonboat Beaufort Race Day features teams racing in dragon boats, with all proceeds directly going towards supporting DragonBoat Beaufort and its mission to assist cancer patients within the community. DragonBoat Beaufort offers guidance, encouragement, and resources to cancer survivors by providing financial assistance to patients and their families for essential needs not covered by insurance, including transportation, nutritional supplements, daycare, medical supplies, and dental care.
According to Kaci Willis of DragonBoat Beaufort, Fishcamp, Safe Harbor, and Shellring Ale Works will be the named sponsors for the 2026 DragonBoat Beaufort Race Day, scheduled for June 27, 2026, at the Bluff at 809 Paris Avenue in Port Royal. Team tents will be set up in the area behind the Shed by Fishcamp, with the rest of the event extending toward Shellring.
Registration, volunteer check-in, the bazaar, and both the opening and awards ceremonies will all be hosted at Shellring.
Willis said there had been several other possible locations explored before deciding on the final location. Ultimately, seeing the Beaufort Water Festival Raft Race being held at The Sands gave them the idea they could potentially pull it off.
However, logistically, it was determined the Sands wouldn’t work. But with some adjustments Shellring could.
This year, adjustments had to be made to Community team sizes due to safety issues, bringing the total number of paddlers on each boat to 16 down from 20. This will likely stay the same next year.
The club teams may also have to make some adjustments, but this will be determined at a later date. The total number of teams will also be cut down to 21 teams in total. There were 28 teams registered this year.
The promenade in Waterfront Park was closed in June 2025, shortly after this year’s Race Day, when an engineering report revealed significant structural issues that created safety concerns. Race Day organizers are excited to be moving to Port Royal and look forward to possibly being at this location for several years, potentially even permanently, since they will not be able to use the Beaufort waterfront promenade until after repairs are completed.
The work on the Waterfront Park is expected to take three to five years, as the structure needs a full replacement, not just minor repairs. The project is still in the planning stage, with city officials reviewing several options from rebuilding the current platform to constructing a seawall or a hybrid design.
There will also likely be changes to how boats are brought in and how races are run. Normally, two groups of teams are on the water at once, one actively racing and another staging for the next heat. This year, they will need time transitions so that one group returns as the next heads out, and they could also decide to reduce the number of teams per heat from four to three.
Willis said they hope Port Royal businesses and community members will welcome the event and get involved, whether through sponsorships, volunteering, donating, or even just hopping in a golf cart, coming out, and enjoying the races.
Amber Hewitt is a freelance photojournalist, among her many occupations, and she can be reached at Amber.TheIslandNews@gmail.com.
