The River Thames will be awash with rowers as crews from all over the world fight it out in the annual Great River Race.
It is expected about 300 crews will take part in the gruelling 22-mile course, which attracts both professional racers and the more leisure-loving rowers.
For the first time ever, due to tidal patterns, the annual event will run upstream, from London Docklands to Ham.
Rowers will set off from Docklands at 11am next Saturday, September 5, and are expected to float past Chiswick Pier at about 1.10pm before reaching the finishing line at Ham at 2pm.
To celebrate the event a party will be held on Chiswick Pier from 12pm, to keep spectators entertained.
Events organiser Gill Exton said: “Chiswick Pier is a wonderful vantage point from which to watch the race and we will be offering live music, refreshments, and a Fuller’s bar to add to the atmosphere.”
The race first made its debut in 1988, inspired by interest generated by a 1987 charity row from Hampton Court to the Tower of London.
A total of 72 entrants rowed in more than 20 different boats to represent six countries, including a Hawian outrigger war canoe, a Viking longboat and a Chinese dragon boat.
Richmond Environmental Information Centre will be using the race to invite people to the open day at their new headquarters, the River Thames Visitor Centre, by Richmond Bridge.
To mark the opening, Eel Pie Island resident and inventor of the wind-up radio, Trevor Baylis, will be giving a talk at 4pm.
There will also be plenty of festive activities going on to draw boat-race watchers to Richmond Riverside.
And after the race is over more than 50 swimmers will make a splash when they took part in the Great River Swim.
The eighth annual swim will see an expected record number of entrants attempt to cover the 1,000m course, from Chiswick Pier to Chiswick Eyot and back, in the fastest time possible to be crowned winner.
The event, sponsored by Pissarro’s bar and restaurant, is scheduled to start at 3.45pm.
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