The Great Steamboat Race is an annual steamboat race, taking place the Wednesday before the first Saturday of May, three days before the Kentucky Derby, as part of the Kentucky Derby Festival. The race was first run in 1963 and it takes place on the Ohio River in the span that runs between Louisville, Kentucky and Jeffersonville, Indiana. Until 2009, the race was traditionally between the Belle of Louisville and the Delta Queen, although other steamboats have participated. Since 2009, the Delta Queen has not participated due to ownership and legal issues, and the Belle of Cincinnati has taken its place in the competition. In 2012, the Belle of Louisville and Belle of Cincinnati were joined in the race by the American Queen.
The 2007 Race, as seen from Duffy's Landing in Jeffersonville, Indiana
The American Queen is one of only five major riverboats in the United States that are powered by steam.
Competitors start to arrive at the start point of the 2007 Race
Spectators of the 2007 Race at Duffy's Landing in Jeffersonville, Indiana
Jeffersonville is a city and the county seat of Clark County, Indiana, United States, situated along the Ohio River. Locally, the city is often referred to by the abbreviated name Jeff. It lies directly across the Ohio River to the north of Louisville, Kentucky, along I-65. The population was 49,447 at the 2020 census.
Skyline of Jeffersonville
Statue at Warder Park honoring Thomas Jefferson
Spring Street is the main shopping area in downtown.
Frontal view of the Carnegie Library in Warder Park, Jeffersonville