James River batteaux festival sets sail Saturday

LYNCHBURG, Va. (AP) — An annual flotilla down the James River is setting sail this weekend.

Lynchburg’s News & Advance (http://bit.ly/1mQt8C1) reports that a fleet of 18 batteaux will launch Saturday from Percivals Island. Captains and their crews have been preparing for weeks.

Batteaux were used from the Colonial days into the 19th century to move cargo along the James.

Some participants dress in period costume and others in modern garb.

The chairman of the bateaux festival is Ralph Smith. He says the festival is one way of highlighting the opportunities the James River offers now that it has been cleaned up.

The 120-mile journey ends in Richmond.

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Information from: The News & Advance, http://www.newsadvance.com/

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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