Yesterday was Regatta Day!
What is a Regatta? Why is it important? Other than as a day off for all of us in St. John's, of course!
The Royal St. John's Regatta is considered the oldest annual sporting event in North America and has been around since the beginning of the 19th century. It is a rowing competition that takes place just outside downtown St. John's at the Quidi Vidi Lake. Teams practice the whole summer (as soon as the ice has left the lake) and take place in time trials and the like to be admitted to the Regatta.
The day is interesting as it is designated to be a public holiday in the city of St. John's - but only weather allowing! If the weather is bad, the day off is off, and you have to go to work instead! Safe to say that there are probably a lot of people calling in sick on those days, especially since the night before is the last day of the George Street festival, which is known for its "wet" nights out in the pubs of George Street.
We're lucky to live downtown and within a walking distance from the lake, so we didn't have to struggle with finding parking or paying five dollars for a tennis club to keep our car safe during the day. Nowadays the rowing seems to be playing a smaller role than before on Regatta Day, as the lakeshore is packed to bursting point with small booths selling everything from famous Indian food to ruffle tickets (local NGOs main way of collecting money!) and, of course, bouncy castles.
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| To row or to bounce, that is the question! |
When we arrived at the lake, the fog was still hanging on top of it, but the clouds did clear away and the sun came out with +25 degrees. This truly felt like a dream come true, as we have not exactly been given the best of summers here this year, to put it mildly. July was the coldest in 20 years and the local police have put out a request to find an arrest the missing summer, also charging local meteorologists for trafficking in Rain, Drizzle and Fog - also known as RDF.
I don't think that these officers of the RNC (Royal Newfoundland Constabulary) were there looking to arrest anyone for bringing out the sun, though. Seems like they were enjoying themselves just as much as any other Townie or Bayman (more on those below).
I'm beginning to get the hang of the Newfoundland dialect, at least every now and then. It's an interesting mixture of Canadian, Irish and British English and the most common way to recognize a Newfie (especially if they're not from St. John's, i.e. they are Baymen and not Townies) is when you hear someone speaking with an excessive use of third-person singular: "Cum on now, luv, we buys you dat shirt and then we goes home to cook supper!"
Or - "Where's me car gone now? I thinks it was parked right here!"
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| "The food is sum good by", or in English: Boy is this food good! |
And who won the Regatta? I wouldn't know, had I not read the newspaper this morning. MAX Arts Athletics Wellness took the men's title while the women's victory was claimed by Roebothan McKay Marshall!
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| One of the teams rowing on the Quidi Vidi Lake |
