New York Outrigger Canoe Club (NYO) will once again host the annual Liberty World Outrigger Competition on July 31, 2010. Liberty is one of the largest sporting events in New York Harbor and one of the most prestigious outrigger canoe races in the world. Teams will race along a challenging and visuallystunning course in New York Harbor, past landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty and the Brooklyn Bridge with the Manhattan skyline as a backdrop. The currents and boat traffic create an unpredictable and washing machine like effect making this race one of the most difficult in the world. Thousands of spectators are expected to watch the event unfold along the New York and New Jersey waterfronts. This year, approximately 250 paddlers from around the world are expected to compete. Past participants have included teams from Tahiti, Australia, Costa Rica, England, Sweden, France and Canada, as well as US teams from Hawaii, California, Florida, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, Washington DC, and Pennsylvania.

There are three categories of races:
Women (15 miles) Start time 7:30 a.m.
Men (15 miles) Start time 11:00 a.m.
Mixed (co-ed) (11 miles) Start time 2:30 p.m.

All races will launch from the Brooklyn Bridge Park in Brooklyn. From there, crews will head south around the Battery and north up the Hudson River. At 34th Street, they will head west across the river, then south down the New Jersey side of the Hudson River past Hoboken, Jersey City and Ellis Island. At the Statue of Liberty, crews will turn east across New York Harbor and around the southern end of Governors Island and past the Brooklyn Piers. The finish line is directly in front of the Brooklyn Bridge Park. For a detailed map, vantage points, and estimated arrival times, please visit www.newyorkoutrigger.org/liberty.