Get ready for blast off at this year’s Port of Dartmouth Royal Regatta between Saturday, 19th August and Sunday, 27th August.
A fuller and more exciting programme than ever is on offer at the event which attracts tens of thousands of visitors.
A major attraction since its inception in 1822, the Regatta is one of the most popular, eclectic and spectacular events held in the South West.
There are over 50 separate events, but of the many activities and attractions, the aquatic sports of rowing, sailing and swimming remain at the heart of the Regatta.
Rowing
A feast of rowing takes centre-piece on the river Dart with the final regatta of the West of England Amateur Rowing Association ten regatta championship series which attracts rowing clubs from around the region and along the south coast; three days of local rowing events in whalers and ‘cadet’ boats which attracts over 700 competitors; and gig rowing amongst South Devon pilot gig clubs.
Sailing
Volunteers from the three local clubs, The Royal Dart Yacht Club, Dartmouth Yacht Club and Dittisham Sailing Club, organise the sailing events, which are spread over the eight days of Regatta. The yachting events – of which there are over 50 - take place in Start Bay and we anticipate some 250 boats, ranging from older classics to high-end racing machines, will provide for some very exciting and competitive racing.
Athletics
In addition to the rowing and sailing there are a number of other well established sporting events. Athletics has been part of the Regatta since 1937 and is represented now by the Regatta Road Race, which will be run over a very testing five-mile course. There are also fun runs for children and young adults.
Stand up paddle boarding
New to the Regatta programme this year is stand up paddle boarding - an exciting addition to an already packed river activity programme working with Waterborne of Kingsbridge to introduce not only a race programme but also opportunities to try out SUP for beginners.
Swimming, golf, darts & water polo
Other events on the sporting calendar include a traditional swimming gala on the opening day; a week long tennis tournament is held at the tennis courts in Coronation Park which includes a closed event for local players and an open tournament recognised and supported by the Lawn Tennis Association; a one-day golf tournament at the Dartmouth Golf and Country Club with competitions for both men and ladies; a two day evening Darts tournament held at the Anzac Club in Dartmouth over two evenings and a very competitive water polo event held in the Boat Float.
Regatta Ball & Regatta Rock
Every year the Regatta organises a variety of entertainment. The Marquee on Coronation Park is home to evening events.
Tuesday, 22nd August, is the night of the black tie event of the year, the Regatta Ball, which has been restyled this year as a masquerade ball with music provided by the outstanding funky ten piece band, Joey the Lips.
Regatta Rock night on Wednesday, 23rd August, features the Leeds four piece band The Victors with support from Guns 2 Roses and Michael Jackson tribute act King of Pop.
The Bandstand in Royal Avenue Gardens also has a lively music programme throughout the week.
Shopping. Food & Drink
The Marquee is also the venue for the hugely popular Shopping Village with many craft stalls and delicious food to take home. There is also a vibrant Street Market on the North Embankment which operates for the whole week and some excellent food and drink outlets in Royal Avenue Gardens.
Royal Navy Guardship
The arrival of the Royal Navy Guardship is one of the highlights of the week. This year the Regatta looks forward to welcoming two, commitments permitting - HMS Severn and HMS Dasher.
HMS Severn is the second River-class built by Vosper Thornycroft at the Woolston yard and launched in December 2002. HMS Dasher is an Archer-class P2000 patrol and training vessel.
Both ships will be open to visitors at times to be announced when finalised.
Dunkirk Little Ships
Another feature of the Regatta this year will be the visit of three vessels from the Association of Dunkirk Little Ships. They are the Caronia, Papillon and Mimosa and they all took part on the famous Dunkirk evacuation. They will be moored close to the centre of town and promise to be a very unusual visitor attraction.
Families, Fireworks
The Regatta is renowned for being a family occasion and there are a number of events for children to enjoy including crab fishing and a colouring competition. Families can enjoy many fun events such as trolley racing and waiters and waitresses races and the ever popular competition, Spot the Oddity.
One of the favourite parts of the whole of Regatta week are the spectacular Firework displays held on Thursday and Saturday evenings at 9pm.
Air Displays
The Regatta is also pleased to have been allocated by the Royal Air Force the ever popular RAF Typhoon and Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Lancaster on the Friday and Saturday evening and it is planned that there will be a fly past by the Red Arrows on the Friday evening.
For full details, including how to book for the marquee events, visit the Regatta website at www.dartmouthregatta.co.uk
