Sunbury Amateur Regatta
TheSunbury Amateur Regattais aregattaon theRiver ThamesatSunbury-on-Thames,Surrey,Englandwith a rare visitors' boats lights display and fireworks event. It is for mainly traditional wooden types of boats with a few events for small sculling boats since its instigation in 1877 (today known asracing shells) taking place by convention on a Saturday in early to mid August. TheEdith Topsfield Junior Regattatakes place the following day.
Location[edit]
This regatta's many land activities takes place atRivermead Island.Racing takes place on theThamesalongside from morning through to mid-and afternoon on the 'Sunbury and Hampton Reach' also known as 'Molesey Reach'.
Races[edit]
Races includeBritish Rowing-conforming club events as follows, all of which require the competitors to vouch for a greater than 50m in full clothes swimming ability as a precondition of entry:
| Boat class | Number of competitors | Wind and stream conditions | Whether requires a safety-regulated club/British Rowing membership |
|---|---|---|---|
| Punting | 1 | Reasonably good | yes |
| Dongola racing | Six people in a kneeling posture (including at least two ladies) | Reasonably good[1] | no - helmsman and ability to swim required |
| Canoeing | 1 & 2 | To severe | no - case-by-case evidenced achievement-based |
| Sculling | 1 & 2 | To severe (category dependent) | yes |
The sculling course culminates downstream atSunbury Court Island.
Land events[edit]
A lively atmosphere on the island includes stalls, children's entertainment, live music, tug of war competition and refreshments.
Lights display[edit]
The regattas have long been among the last regattas in the rowing year due accommodating its firework finale at sunset and procession of illuminated boats including old small merchant vessels with masts and luxury motor cruisers.
History[edit]
The regatta was inaugurated in 1877 with events for sweep-oar pairs, sculls (as racing shells), punts, canoes and swimming — for the first fifty years Sunbury hosted a parallel Tradesmen's or Town regatta for professional watermen. The original course was downstream from the very end of the Sunbury Reach besideSunbury Lock.For some years at the end of the 19th century the regatta hosted theThames Punting Clubchampionships at that sport.[2]
The event is followed on the Sunday by the Edith Topsfield Junior Regatta, founded in 1932 for children aged 7 to 16.[3]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^Entry FormRetrieved 2015-04-19.
- ^G. DearOne Hundred Years of Skiff RacingBritish Rowing Almanack 2001
- ^Parsons, Judy (12 August 1999). "Dinghies presented to regatta in late rower's name".Staines and Ashford News.p. 9.