Weather co-operates to give the go-ahead to the 206th Royal St. John's Regatta
CBC
The 206th Royal St. John's Regatta is a go.
Officials gathered on the shores of Quidi Vidi Lake in St. John's early Wednesday morning to make the call to proceed with the regatta, which bills itself as the oldest continuous sporting event in North America and is a weather-dependent holiday for the city.
Keith White, captain of the course, said the volunteer committee meets at the regatta boathouse at 5:30 a.m. NT, looks at a number of factors, including the weather forecast, and then votes on whether to go ahead with the event.
"The sky is blue. The sun is out. And most importantly, the wind is manageable," White told CBC News after the announcement, coming after a unanimous vote by the volunteer committee.
Throughout the day there will be boat races on the water, and the event typically draws thousands of spectators to the shores of Quidi Vidi to watch the races, listen to live music, play carnival-style games and eat food from vendors set up by the lake.
White had a list of recommendations for anyone who wants to visit the regatta.
"They need to take in the races, first and foremost. There's no shortage of food concessions around the lake today, so they want to try some of the food. Games of chance, of course."
He said there are more than 200 vendors set up around the lake, up from 60 last year.
"That's an impressive growth," said White.
Parking isn't ideal around the lake Wednesday, he noted, but Metrobus is running a $1 shuttle service.
He said the regatta committee will take a few weeks off after Wednesday but will reconvene in September to start planning next year's regatta, work that begins in earnest in the new year.
"Really, Jan. 1 — it gets intense and it builds and builds and builds."
Campbell Feehan, a record-breaking rower who is now on the regatta committee, said rowing helped him make friends and good memories. He said to top it off, last week he was inducted into the regatta's hall of fame.
"That was special," he said.
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