Race Day

The Royal St. John’s Regatta committee will host three regattas during the season:

  1. Discovery Day
  2. Time Trials
  3. The Royal St. John’s Regatta

In addition, crews can register for the Placentia Regatta and the Harbour Grace Regatta.

See the Royal St. John’s Regatta site for more information about time trials and regatta day races.

Crews are encouraged to participate in all races to gain experience and to have fun!

The course

All of the fixed seat regattas mentioned above have senior female and male races, masters female and male races, juvenile, intermediate, and squirt races.

Female course

The female course is 1.225 km (0.76 miles). Crews must do the following:

  1. Start at their designated buoy/keg at the top of the pond. The coxswain must hold onto the toggle attached to the keg
  2. Row down the pond toward the women’s kegs (approximately 600 m)
  3. Turn the boat around their designated buoy on the south side
  4. Row up the pond towards the starting kegs
  5. Finish on the north side of their starting keg

Male course

The male course is 2.45 km (1.52 miles). Crews must do the following:

  1. Start at their designated buoy/keg at the top of the pond. The coxswain must hold onto the toggle attached to the keg
  2. Row down the pond toward the men’s kegs (approximately 1225 m)
  3. Turn the boat around their designated buoy on the south side
  4. Row up the pond towards the starting kegs
  5. Finish on the north side of their starting keg

Turning and finishing rule

Turning and finishing rule from the Royal St. John’s Regatta website:

All shells shall approach and round their respective turning buoys on the south side of that turning buoy and shall finish the race on the north side of their respective starting stake. Any crew violating this rule shall be disqualified from the race.

Approaching and turning the buoys

When a crew turns around their turning buoy and heads for the finish, they will be rowing in the lane of another crew.

For example, a crew on stake number 5 will row to the south side of keg #5 on the way down, turn around the keg, and row back to the north side of keg #5 (or between keg #5 and keg #4). If crew #5 is faster than crew #4, this may mean that they are in the same lane after crew #5 makes the turn.

Right of way rule

Right of way rule from the Royal St. John’s Regatta website:

A shell that approaches its designated turning buoy first has the right of way at all times including into and out of its designated turning buoy. Any crew whose shell obstructs or interferes with the shell of any other crew engaged in a race shall be disqualified.

In the above example above, crew #4 must stop and let crew #5 complete their turn.

See also the course layout page on the Royal St. John’s Regatta site.

Race schedule

Regatta Day races are scheduled based on time trial results with the faster crews scheduled in the first races of the day. The fastest crew will race in race one, stake one; the second fastest will race in race one stake two and so on until all crews are scheduled.

For the safety of all participating crews, there will be no choice in stake positions except for the championship races.

Choosing a shell

Crews can choose the shell that they wish to race in for St. John’s Regatta. The order of boat selection will be based on time trial results. Crews racing in the morning will choose from the wooden boats – “brown bottom” or “white bottom.” Crews racing in the afternoon may have to choose from the the wooden boats or the fibre glass boats.

The Royal St. John’s Regatta Committee will provide more information on the date and time of the shell selection as Regatta Day approaches.

Race day preparation

It is recommended that crews be at pond side 45-60 minutes before their designated race. Crews should warmup, be ready to setup their boat, and report to the dock staff at least 15 minutes prior to the start of their race.

When the last shell passes the Marquee on its way to the finish line, crews in the next race must be in position and ready to push off.

The ten minute rule

All crews must be at their respective starting stakes to start their assigned races within ten (10) minutes of the race being called over the loud-speaker at the Boathouse.