Ed Botterill, Dartmouth Regatta Chairman
Ed Botterill is the new man at the helm of the Port of Dartmouth Royal Regatta and planning to steer it smoothly through the next three year.
He was elected as regatta chairman in January, taking over from Jonathan Hawkins. Ed joined the committee in 2012 and was vice-chairman last year.
He said: ‘I consider myself very lucky to be honoured with such a position. I’ve got a great committee who together work very well.
‘My favourite aspect of regatta is the spirit of the event. Everybody pulls together to have the best time they can, from those who’ve trained for months to those who haven’t trained for five minutes for the bungee rowing. I love the bungee rowing, the racing, the darts competition and everything in between.’
Ed first worked with the regatta in 2011, hanging up the bunting through the town.
He said: ‘I still love this preparation job. We spend a joyous evening putting up the bunting. It’s an established routine, perfect and the same every year and includes a bag of chips en route and a pint to finish. I’m looking forward to helping again this year.’
Ed said the regatta’s standing committee is around 30 members, some of whom are focused on specific events, including rowing and yacht racing, the fete, the entertainment programme and the shopping village.
‘They’re all people who do their specific thing really well,’ he added. ‘They’re the jigsaw pieces of regatta, which couldn’t run without them.
‘We also have honorary stewards who are the great, the good, the historic, the utterly dependable and reliable backbone of regatta, some of whom have been doing the same job at regatta for many years.
‘And then we have lots of people we lovingly refer to as our ‘August helpers’, the ones who help sell tickets and shake tins. When we need them they are there. We couldn’t do regatta without them and always have a thank you party for them in September.
‘It’s a huge strength of the regatta that we have lots of the same people doing the same terrific job every year.’
One of the major issues facing Ed and the committee this year, in the wake of last year’s awful Shoreham air show disaster, is how to manage this year’s air display and people’s expectations.
Initial findings and interim guidance from the Civil Aviation Authority have been published and it confirms a restricted area will remain beneath air displays, where movement and access must remain controlled.
So this year the Red Arrows will perform two fly pasts but no display over the river. The Typhoon, which operates under different criteria, will perform a full display.
Ed said: ‘The place we find ourselves this year has got to be viewed through the lens of Shoreham. All air displays are being looked at closely by the CAA – everything is under a real magnifying glass.
‘If we can demonstrate good behaviour with a couple of fly pasts and a full Typhoon display that then stands us in good stead for a full Red Arrows display next year, even if that means clearing the river to do it. And I would encourage yachtsmen and those afloat to watch the displays from the Embankment. But for this year I’m utterly content with a fly past and Typhoon display.’
Ed said he wants to stress that, although the air displays pull in crowds, the regatta is about much more than what is happening in the skies above the town.
‘The regatta is not just about air displays, as amazing as flight director, Jason Aylett, has made them over the years. It’s about rowing, sailing, road races and darts competitions, in fact all of it,’ he added.
‘Not having the focus on the air displays gives us more focus on the town and to do different things. For example, this year we have a gig regatta on the Saturday, with visiting gigs invited from Brixham and Salcombe. Not having to clear the river for air displays has actually given us some more freedom.
‘Or we can bring back things from years ago. I personally would love to see the return of the Kon Tiki raft race, from Bayards Cove to the Boat Float, which stopped five years ago.’
Fresh to the regatta this year is a new principal sponsor, Volvo Cars UK. Volvo Cars are major sponsors of sailing in the UK and their sponsorship will include a full day of sailing on the final Saturday as well as junior events earlier in the week. They will also be having a display stand at Coronation Park throughout Regatta week.
Volvo Cars are sponsors of Team Volvo many of whom will be competing in Rio.
Ed added: ‘We’re planning a terrific event on the final Saturday of Regatta when we will be joined by members of Team Volvo who’ll be arriving straight from Rio with, fingers crossed, a clutch of medals.’
Ed also said the marquee programme will be announced shortly and will include the Regatta Ball, this year featuring one of the top bands in the South West, Joey the Lips. The marquee will also host a new family event called Jump and Jive. Regatta Rock this year will have three big bands including rock legends The Kast Off Kinks.
Ed said they are always looking for more volunteers, especially those who could help with social media and marketing.
He said: ‘Most of us on the committee can operate Facebook and Twitter but we’re amateurs really and could do with some new recruits. Come and help us make regatta even better, get involved and come and join the party.’
The regatta chairman role is Ed’s first civilian committee chairman post, although in his job as an army major he has plenty of experience with committees and managing people.
He’s stationed in Andover and heads straight to Dartmouth, which he considers home, after clocking off on Fridays.
Ed’s fiancée Mel Taylor is also on the regatta committee. The couple have two children, Lottie and Daisy.
His father had a boat on Darthaven marina during the 1980s, on which Ed and his family regularly sailed.
He said: ‘When he died in 1989, we sold it and bought a flat here, which we later turned into a house. We’ve lived off and on in the town ever since and took up full-time residence in 2012.
‘Apparently dad also had a boat before we were born and my mum made him sell it to concentrate on his family. He bought another one ten years later when we were older and I have very fond memories of sailing on the Dart with him.’
‘Dartmouth has been a part of my life all my life. I love this town.’
First published By The Dart magazine May 2016