Bully boys and ‘turning the buoys’: it’s a pivotal date for the summer

August 2024

The Royal St John’s Regatta is scheduled for Wednesday, August 7 – or, famously, maybe not. There are a lot of distinctive facts and singular traditions linked to the event: it’s longevity (dating to 1816), it’s association with the Newfoundland Regiment, even the pronunciation of the lake it is held on, but it is also the only holiday in North America to be determined by a civic committee. They study the weather, particularly wind conditions, and make the call at 6am. Hence another ritual: Regatta Roulette.

(Painting above: Regatta at Antwerp, 1906, by Othon Friesz)

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