Regattas Around The World A
regatta is a series of boat races, typically of rowed or sailed crafts.
As in Dartmouth, regattas often include other on and off shore activities and are usually named after the town where the event takes place. The word derives from the Venetian ‘to compete’ and is said to originate from the 17th
century gondolier boat
races on Venice’s Grand Canal, which still run in September each year. Dartmouth is proudly one of the largest and oldest regattas in the world, reputedly second only in the United Kingdom to the world famous Cowes Week. The first recorded Dartmouth Regatta was held in 1822, and this year will be the 170th
event.
During Regatta, the town’s population more than triples in size, as crowds of over 72,000 converge for the races and other attractions. For such a small town, Dartmouth Regatta is in great global company as one of the most established events of its kind. Here is a glimpse of some of the other big players. Cowes Week is a key part of the UK sporting calendar and takes place in early August every year. The dates are from early traditions when the great and the good went to Cowes between Goodwood and the Glorious Twelfth – day one of the grouse-shooting season. The event is held on the Solent - between southern England and the Isle of Wight, where the water has strong double tides – and is run in the small town of Cowes on the Isle of Wight. The event is a mix of competitive sailing and a vibrant social scene, and has evolved enormously since it began in 1826. It now attracts up to 1,000 competing boats, around 8,500 com- petitors and more than 100,000 visitors. Its competitors range from Olympic and world-class professionals to weekend sailors. Kiel Regatta is an annual sailing event in Kiel, Germany, and is reputedly the largest sailing event in the world. It is held annually in the last complete week of June. Kiel usually attracts around 5,000 sailors, 2,000 yachts and more than three million visitors each year. It also includes a tall ships parade.
One of the largest and most popular rowing regattas is the Henley Regatta on the River Thames. It is one of the highlights of the national summer sporting calendar and social season. There are more than 200 races over a five-day period, including both Olympians and crews that are new to the event. The first recorded Henley Regatta was in 1839, and it has been held annually ever since, except during the two World Wars. The original 1839 Regatta took place on a single afternoon
Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta
but proved so popular it was extended to two days from 1840, three in 1886, four in 1906, and then five in 1986. Since 1928, its increased popularity meant entries exceeded the permitted numbers in several events and so qualifying races are now held in the week before. Regattas are also very popular across the Atlantic. The Royal St. John’s Regatta in Newfoundland is the old- est organised sporting event in North America. The first record of an event is in 1816, but rowing matches were said to be common among ships’ crews in St. John’s Harbour since the 1700s. These days, the Regatta draws crowds of up to 50,000 people annually to the shores of Quidi Vidi Lake. The National Capital Regatta in
Canada’s Ottawa, started in 1957, is one of the most popular and successful annual sailing events in Canada. It falls in August, around two weeks before Dartmouth’s event. Its site at the Britannia Yacht Club on Lac Deschênes in the Ottawa River serves as a beautiful backdrop for the Regatta. And in the Caribbean, the Virgin Islands hosted their 41st annual event this March. The newly renamed St. Thomas International Regatta, previously called International Rolex Regatta after its sponsor, attracts thousands each year to its legendary waters, for racing and true Caribbean hospitality. Even further afield, the Australia Day Regatta is held in Sydney in January to commemorate the anniversary of the first European settlement of Australia. This one has the proud acco- lade of being the oldest continuously conducted annual sailing regatta in the world, having been held every year since 1837. Originally known as the Anniversary Regatta, this colourful
event is held around Sydney Harbour and other locations in New South Wales. In recent years some 700 vessels have taken part in the Australia Day Regatta making it one of the highlights of the celebrations on Australia Day each year. And next door, New Zealand has also been celebrating its
own anniversary day with the Auckland Anniversary Day Regatta almost every year since 1840. This one also attracts a huge fleet of vessels including tall ships, an armada of vintage tugboats and America’s Cup prototypes. If Dartmouth’s event has whetted your appetite then, a little closer to home, there are a host of other Regattas around the South West coastline. There is the Plymouth Regatta in July and the Torbay Week in August. On the north coast is the delightful Appledore and Instow Regatta. This is held across July and August and has been running events in both villages since 1885. For more information on Dartmouth’s Regatta pick up a programme or visit
www.dartmouthregatta.co.uk
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