ASPIRATIONS AND EXPLANATIONS
This year the Regatta has stepped up its game and we are now organising more entertainment, more music and a wider selection of Beers and wines and cocktails. Live music from Saturday 11.30am until 11.30pm and all day Sunday until close of play at 6.30pm.
We have a Beer Festival sponsored by Fullers and offering a wider range of Beers not only from Fullers but also 16 racked craft beers . For the first time we are introducing beers from the Twickenham Brewery providing a few extra tantalising beers including ‘Naked ladies’ and ‘Grandstand’ . We aim to provide beers, lagers and cider to appeal to all palates and strengths, so we have ABV’s from mild to high, hoppy flavours, malts and light lagers and cider from The Cornish Orchard Cider company. To keep things even more local we have spirits from ‘The Thames Ditton Gin Company’ providing some tastings of their new Pink Gin range and we also have ‘Fizz and Frolics’ with a rather dashing quirky mobile bar serving Cocktails Champagne and Prosecco. Pimms is also available at the bar along with wines and other spirits.
So that’s the Bar!
So take your lovely drink and wander towards the River and watch the rowers fight it out every race, teeth gritting breathing hard, nostrils flared and determined in their every stroke to win. After the race and the results read out loud by the dulcet deep tones of our beloved commentators you can stroll and relax and listen to music and enjoy a range of foods from simple sandwiches and cakes and teas and coffee to a BBQ, Halumi Bites, Crepes, Hog Roast (later in the afternoon pm) and Spanish and Mexican cuisine. Dough Shack will be with us on Sunday too if you fancy a pizza.
Along with the rowing and the beer and the food is a medley of music lined up to keep you entertained and enjoying the mood. We have a long line up of live acts on the Saturday until late 11.30pm – Ugly Bus ends the evening with their sizzling up beat rock and pop that sends you into a dance mood and feet tapping happy on into the night. On Sunday we have an equally exciting line up ending with rather a crescendo of lively music from the Balkanoes – they really end the show with a bang and uplifting sound to take you home with a smile on your face.
Saturday 20th July we have – roll drum please for the following line up.
Ken Marshall Country/Blues
Nick & Sarah 70’s & 80’s covers
Rob Hughes. Simon and Garfunkel
Mushwah P. Latin Punk
Bonnie & Clive Soul/rock
Megan – Folk Rock
Grand Union Connection Indie
Steve Townsend Rock Pop
Clare – Pop performers
Ugly Bus Rock/Pop – a cover band that always guarantees a wild and lively end to the Saturday night party.
Sunday 21st July
Marks Band Blues/Rock
Maria’s KB Kate Bush
Simon Flute – easy listening
Stoke Buskers Rock/Pop
Ginger Dave Rock
Clare – Pop Performers
To End the Event we have
The Balkanoes – “a 9 piece band mix up of goulash of Balkan brass and fiddle with Klezmur flavours to create a soulful party music that always gets audiences dancing”.
In addition to the Bar, Food and Music we have entertainment for children and shopping so exhibitors selling crafts, jewellery, stationary, toys. We have a Vintage Fair ground provided by a vintage showman and vintage rides. The rides are for small children only. We have the ice bucket challenge which we are doing to educate people about the effects of being immersed in water not only if you are a rower and capsize but also anybody that finds themselves in cold water and how quickly hyperthermia can kick in and its devastating effects, even when its summer. It’s a fun event however with a message, so if you fancy signing up let us know .
We have Clare Pop Performers coming along to provide entertainment from local children and budding performing artists and they always make everybody get up and dance, not least as they are so cute too. Face painters and street artists so stilt walkers and fire blowing, giant games for kids, sorry no bouncy castles. Ice cream and a fire engine work commitment allowing obviously.
So why is this Regatta happening? What is a Regatta ? Firstly it has a history going back to 1867 . The Regatta was formed after Molesey Club organised itself in 1866 and from there on in 1867 the Regatta was born and became to be known as one of the most prestigious Regattas after Royal Henley . It hit hard times during the World Wars losing many of its members to the cause but it revived and has carried on maybe not at the pace it once had, until now. We the Regatta are striving to get this event back on the map of rowing events but also back to being a strong local community event, so please come and support us. We are not a profit making enterprise, but anything we raise is given back to the Club to inspire rowing and the sport and this participation is at all levels from juniors from local state schools to adults trying it out for the first time to our pathway athletes and onto becoming Olympians male and female.
Entry is Free and so please come and join us along the banks of the River Thames on the Hurst Park and bring your sunshine.
There is also a luncheon marquee providing visitors with a sit down three course meal (Saturday only). Entry is free except for parking £4.00 which includes a programme. Become a friend of the Regatta for £20 and get free car parking and a rather nice metal badge and an ice cream!
Facts about rowing and racing at the Regatta:-
Over 400 crews attend and race over the 2 days so 1600 competitors.
The Saturday events are dedicated to Adults masters, Seniors and Elite rowers racing in anything from a single, so one person in a boat (fine boat sculling – this is like sitting on a pin to balance) to an eight with a cox at the helm (sweep oar so 1 blade per person and eight people together) The one thing that is immediately apparent is it’s a backward sport so a cox (effectively a driver) is useful and essential to the bigger boats like eights. The Molesey course has a tricky deceptive bend then it’s a long straight to the finish of 850k metres. The Saturday can provide some of the most exciting racing as the races can be drawn so that you have complete novices racing against very experienced rowers fighting to the end with hearts pounding.
Sundays is Junior day (aged 11 -18) and full of as much racing and often more than Saturday with juniors fighting it out sometimes their first race so it’s always a fun day and their course is shorter at 500 metres.
We encourage families to gather and enjoy a picnic and absorb the racing cheers and smells of a sunny summer’s day by the river.
Singles – One person in a boat rowing backwards and with 2 blades called sculling. (unstable and they steer themselves). crazy!
Doubles ( 2 people in a boat with 2 blades each can be very fast and also unstable) (steering from the bowman so the person sitting behind) (sculling).
Pairs – a double person boat but they only have one blade each – harder to balance. Sweep rowing .(a blade in one hand) (the steers person is the person sitting behind).
Fours – well these can be as in the word ‘Four’ to a boat a boat with 4 people with one oar and called sweep oar rowing but they can also have a cox to help them be steered down the course. Sweep rowing.
Quads – also four rowers but they have 2 blades each so one in each hand and they also can have a cox to help them steer down the course but they can also be coxless so the person sitting at the end or back of the boat known as the bow often steers the boat with their feet and a wiring mechanism. (Sculling – a blade in each hand)
Eights – the tanks or stealth bombers of rowing are powerful and have eight rowers and always have a cox as they really need somebody to steer them down the course backwards . Never get in the way of an eight its eight men or women powering the boat with long blades backwards down the river, with a cox as eyes and the driver.
Octuples – as it suggests also eight people – in England we tend to use these boats for children to race in so it is 8 juniors with 2 blades each sculling a big long boat together. These are coxed as they tend to be populated by not only young rowers but first time racers. They can look like centipedes rather than a smooth 16 blade entry in and out together look. You will only see these on Sunday at the Junior event. On the continent Octuples are used by adults for competitive rowing but alas not in England.
Explore Boats – these are sturdy remarkably un-sinkable so used to teach adult novices to row for expediency and less risk. These can be seen to race at the Regatta and they are often just set up as sculling boats as a 4 man boat and always have a cox. They truly are unsinkable and can be used for coastal rowing .