ONE of the oldest boating regattas is back with new changes and exciting races to look forward to.

Burnham Week is back on the River Crouch with competitive boat racing at the end of the month.

For the first time, organisers are opening entries in a new flexible pay-by-the-day system.

It means competitors can enter on a daily basis if they are unable to commit to the whole week.

The regatta boat races take place from Saturday, August 27, until Saturday, September 3.

Maldon and Burnham Standard:

The event is on during late summer to include the August bank holiday to make it a family holiday week.

Chairman Annie Reid said: “Ideally we do like to encourage competitors to sign up for the entire week with the early bird entry because it really is the cheaper option.

“To make it easier for people to see the fees due, we have a ‘traffic light’ system – green for the early entry fee, orange warning that they have increased, and red for entries at the last minute.

“However, we also understand that many with busy lives cannot commit to signing up for a whole week so we’ve tried to make the entry format more flexible so competitors can just turn up and race with our pay-by-the-day system.”

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There is a range of racing divisions and day boat classes spread across the week for people to enjoy.

The club is expecting boats from Thorpe Bay, Maylandsea and the River Crouch to compete in the races during the week.

The bank holiday weekend races will include Multihull Offshore Cruising and Racing Association (MOCRA) national championship and dinghy racing.

Some of the prizes that can be won at the event are the Burnham Week Town Cup and the Houghton Cup, which is one of the oldest offshore races on the East Coast.

The regatta will come to an end with a firework display on the final Saturday.