Saturday started out grey and drizzly - with a fine mist-like rain falling on us as we assembled for the fun events which start the day - the "Waiters and waitresses" races were up first - great fun for all involved and an amount of local pride at stake too as all the local restaurants and hostelries compete to take the prize. MrEH and I usually help out at these events, as well as me taking some photos for them as well, so we were kept busy running up and down, and shaking cans of lager or cola ready for the competitors to enjoy the challenge of pouring...
Then comes the Barrel Rolling event - two teams of 3/4 people per heat roll the barrel from one end of the course and back again, the barrels having previously been half-filled with water which makes them wonderfully unpredictable and tending to scoot off in odd directions if rolled with too much force...
My favourite event this one - I love the expressions of determination on the racers faces!
Finally the "fun events" are wrapped up with the "International Trolley Grand Prix" an event where teams of 2 have to keep their "fuel tank" in the trolley (buckets with strategically drilled holes) filled with water in order that the trolley may be pushed around the course. Our job at the end was to stop those whose fuel tanks were empty when they reached us - they have to wait for their "mechanic" to return with a "fuel can" full of water to top up the tank, and off they go again. This would be as easy as it sounds if the fuel cans didn't also have liberally drilled holes. *grin* Those who've done it before know that the trick is to slap your hand over the top of the container once you've filled it, and invert the whole thing onto that hand to run up the course with it. Getting wet is an essential part of the fun, and for any of the adults who aren't quite as wet as MrEH things they ought to be by the last lap, he has a bucket ready to help things along. oddly enough, his bucket doesn't have the holes drilled....!
Also going on over on the river while all this mayhem breaks out on land is the local rowing finals - and two of my Brothers-In-law were kept busy all day with those, including rowing in dinner jackets, as you do....
...they were rewarded by being placed in several of the events, and also by being given an award for being the most dedicated rowers of the Regatta, something which is voted for by those who know their subject supremely well, which meant a lot to them.
Regatta is fantastic fun and such a family event for us too - always great to catch up with everyone and spend time playing with the niece and nephews, and chatting with Sister-in-Law Terri too. Friday afternoon saw a host of flying displays taking place - those will get a separate post all of their own as I'm not walking all the way up the hill to NOT get my moneys-worth out of the shots! Saturday is a lovely laid-back day, much wandering about, watching things randomly, and sitting in the sunshine before heading to the Royal Avenue gardens in the evening for a big group picnic with family and friends and then - the last real event of the Regatta - the fireworks display, set to music and always impressive! The town seems very quiet once Regatta is over - by the time most folk venture down the following morning the fair has packed up and left, traffic flow around the town is back to normal, and the bunting is taken down and stowed away for another year. Someone arriving by midday on the Sunday would barely know anything had happened. All this can happen thanks to a band of dedicated volunteers, aided and abetted by those who diligently drop their contributions into the collecting tin each year. Fantastic, isn't it!
Robyn
4 comments:
That looks like a whole lot of fun, very wet fun lol. Looks like a wonderful time was had by everyone.
Definitely very wet fun! The expressions on the faces just say it all, though!
That looks like great fun. What a fabulous event, and well done to those who make it happen.
The organising Committee and others really do work tirelessly pretty much right through the year to make it such a success - but my goodness it pays off!
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