REGATTA JUST GOT OLDER
by
John F. O=Mara
10 July 2002
The 2001 Royal St. John=s Regatta was referred to as the 175th Regatta. This year=s Regatta will be the 184th. Even
though the math doesn=t add
up, there is a simple explanation for what seems to be a mistake.
With the establishment of the Royal St. John=s Regatta Museum last year, the Committee has
established 1818 as the year of the first organized Regatta. Prior to that
time, 1826 was assumed to have been the first Regatta. In that year, the first
formal Committee, AThe
Amateurs of Boat Racing@, was formed.
As a result of research in recent years, it has now been established
that the first organized Regatta was held on September 22, 1818. The races were
part of ceremonies to celebrate the 47th Anniversary of the
Coronation of King George III. Six boats entered the race which was held on the
Harbour of St. John=s at
2:00 P.M. The Customs= House boat won in a time of twenty-five
minutes and were presented with a silver cup. The distance covered was two
miles.
As well, a newspaper report refers to the 1826 Regatta as Athe St. John=s Annual Regatta@. So, there were certainly Regattas held between 1818 and 1826.
Therefore, the 2002 Royal St. John=s Regatta will be the 184th Anniversary Regatta.
However, there have not been 184 Regattas. Actually, it is unclear
exactly how many Regattas have been held. In the early years, there are no
newspapers extant or only incomplete copies of newspapers. As well, it is known
that there were no Regattas in certain years because of the death of a Monarch,
religious and/or political faction fighting, devastating fires, and World Wars.
In fact, the Committee can only confirm 152 Regattas, including this year=s, from existing sources.
So, North America=s oldest organized sporting event is now 184 years old - eight years
older than previously thought.