The 205th Royal St. John’s Regatta has been tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, August 2, 2023. Please note, this is weather pending.
From seasoned pros to beginners, Quidi Vidi Lake is a rower’s paradise. Register a team, learn to row, or check out one of our seasonal training programs.
The 205th Royal St. John’s Regatta has been tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, August 2, 2023. Please note, this is weather pending.
Stay tuned for updates for the 2023 season!
REGISTRATION
Crew registration, waivers, and Vulnerable Sector Screening (if applicable), must be submitted prior to crews receiving Veribook access, which allows you to book spin times.
Please send an e-mail to [email protected] with any questions.
Registration payments should be sent by Email Money Transfer (EMT) to [email protected]
SPIN LENGTH/TIMES
Spin times will be 45 minutes in length for the 2023 Rowing Season. If required, spin length times and spin start/end times will be adjusted based on operational demands.
The start time for the first spin of the day will be modified throughout the season based on sunrise. This is for rower safety and to provide adequate time for staff to bring the safety boat to the wharf.
The end time for the last spin of the day will be modified throughout the season based on sunset. Crews must respect the final spin time for rower safety and to ensure staff have adequate time to moor the safety boat.
We are working with Veribook in attempt to adjust the spin time length for the last spin of the day as there is not enough daylight to offer another spin at 8:15.
Veribook:
For Example:
On Friday, crews can book one spin for Monday and one spin for Tuesday. At 3:00PM on Friday, if there are spins available for Monday and Tuesday, crews can book a second spin for Monday and Tuesday.
On Monday, crews can book one spin for Wednesday and one spin for Thursday. At 3:00PM on Monday, if there are spins available for Wednesday and Thursday, crews can book a second spin for Wednesday and Thursday.
On Wednesdays, crews can book one spin for Friday and one spin for Saturday. At 3:00PM on Wednesday, if there are spins available for Friday, crews can book a second spin for Friday.
Crews can only book one spin on Saturday.
The booking system will be monitored closely. If crews are not following the spin booking rules accordingly, the Regatta Committee has the right to cancel a crew’s spin time. Should crews not follow the booking rules, additional booking penalties will occur.
If you have questions or would like clarification, please reach out via email to [email protected]
**IMPORTANT: 2023 REQUIREMENT**
ALL COACHES, COXSWAINS and TEAM MANAGERS who are participating with a team (registered or as a spare), where a member is under the age of 19 are required to complete a Vulnerable Sector Check for each season.
We are aligning ourselves with the safety and best practices of other sporting organizations by implementing this mandatory requirement. This is pertinent as coaches, coxswains and team managers are in a position of authority and are entrusted with the well-being of youth or vulnerable person(s).
Please send an e-mail to [email protected] to request a letter from the organization to waive the fee for the Vulnerable Sector Check.
| Race Category | Cost per Team |
|---|---|
| Masters (W 41+ | M 46+) | $1,800+HST |
| Senior | $1,800+HST |
| Intermediate (U21) | $1,800+HST |
| Juvenile (U18) | $1,800+HST |
| Junior (U16) | $1,000+HST |
| Squirt (U14) | $650+HST |
| Out of Town Crew | $345+HST |
**Fees must be paid in full prior to receiving access to book your first spin**
**Please note, all dates are TENTATIVE, subject to change and weather/pandemic status pending.
As of 2015, an online booking system is used to make bookings.
Important Note: Crews must register using our online registration and submit their waivers before they will be permitted to make a booking. Once registration and waivers are complete you will be sent an email with a user name and password for the online booking site.
For a step-by-step instructions on how to use the online booking system, please see our online booking system guide.
Important Note: It is not possible to restrict how many booking are made. The current rule of only one morning and only one evening practice per crew per day still stands. If a crew does double book in the morning or evening they will be first given a warning, with subsequent infractions leading to increasing penalties of the number of days that their account will be locked. If this rule continues to be abused we will have to return to the telephone system.
If you are a new rower with a full crew (six rowers), or an individual rower looking to get your foot in the door to create a new group, this program may be what you are looking for! This includes individual and group sessions, Rowing and Boat Orientation, Technical Rowing Instruction and on-water mentoring.
Coxwains must be 19 years of age as of December 31 of this year.
Minimum age of any oarsperson is 10 years, as of December 31 this year.
The course of the Royal St. John’s Regatta is possibly the most unique boat racing course in the world. Unlike most other racing courses, the length of Quidi Vidi Lake forces competitors to turn a set of buoys at the bottom of the pond in the full course, and a set of buoys at the center of the pond for the half course.
Both courses follow the same set of rules for conduct and sportsmanship.
With an overall length of 2.45 km (1.52 miles), the full course is a grueling testimony to the sport of boat racing. The crew must line themselves at their respective stake and, when the signal is given, race to their designated buoy at the bottom of the pond.
Should one full minute elapse with no mis-start, accident or equipment damage, the race is considered official and will not be stopped unless an emergency occurs.
The first crew reaching their buoy will be given right of way to round the buoy. To successfully complete the course, crews must round the buoy on the south side, and approach their starting stake on the north side. The distance between the buoys at the top of the pond is 36.5 meters (119.75 feet) and at the foot of the pond they are 15.7 meters (51.5 feet).
Though a shorter course, it is no less grueling or impressive to watch.
The length of the course comes in at 1.225 km (0.76 miles) and like the full course, crews must reach their buoys and round them on the south side, approaching their starting positions from the north.
The distance between buoys are the same in both courses as is giving right of way to the crew which reaches their buoy first.
| Shell Name | Colour |
|---|---|
| Pomerleau | Gold |
| Cougar Helicopters Soteria | Blue |
| Gerry Angel | Green |
| Dictator | Red |
| Iceberg Gold | White |
| Miss Tubular | Tan |
| Shell Name | Colour |
|---|---|
| The OZ Network | Gold |
| The Newfoundland Herald | Blue |
| Smith Stockley | Green |
| The Henley | Red |
| President’s Choice | White |
| The Broker | Tan |
| Shell Name | Colour |
|---|---|
| Miss India II | Gold |
| Stroke of Power | Blue |
| Smith Stockley II | Green |
| Catherine M | Red |
| The NTV Network | White |
| The Ranger | Tan |
| Shell Name | Colour |
|---|---|
| Lamb’s Palm Breeze | Gold |
| HydroWise | Blue |
| The Telegram | Green |
| The Sea-Hawk | Red |
| The CBC | White |
| The Marine Institute | Tan |
Located in the Boathouse on Quidi Vidi Lake, the St. John’s Rowing Club is the only sliding seat rowing club in Newfoundland. The club offers many learn-to-row programs, geared towards all ages and experiences, offers high school and college programs, and also acts as the main training facility for the Newfoundland Rowing Team.
With certified coaches and well planned programs the club can meet all of your rowing needs. Please visit their website or contact them via phone at 576-0082 or e-mail [email protected] for more information on how you can get involved in slide-seat rowing.
In order to row in the Royal St. John’s Regatta, you must have a team of six (6) regular oarspersons, and a certified Coxswain. Most teams have a sponsor to provide financial support as well. Having a spare would be ideal in case someone cannot make a practice or in case anything goes wrong Regatta Day, but is not required. A coach or manager would also be ideal, but is not required.
Please see our How to Establish a Team page for more information on how to start a new rowing team. There are many ways to get involved with fixed-seat rowing. The best way would be to contact our Technical Coordinator at the boathouse, who will be organizing our Learn To Row Programs and will be putting together crews throughout the summer. We also have a Facebook page and bulletin boards at the boathouse which many people use to notify that they are looking for crews, rowers, coxswains, etc.
The Chevron Learn to Row (CLTR) program is a free program offered by the Royal St. John’s Regatta Committee to teach newcomers the sport of fixed-seat rowing. Please visit the Chevron Learn to Row page for more information.
The June Day Races are a practice regatta held toward the end of June. For new and experienced crews, it is a chance to experience a race scenario before Time Trials and Regatta Day. Please visit the June Day Races page for more information.
The purpose of the Time Trials is to determine the make-up of each Regatta Day race based upon the times rowed by the crews participating in the Time Trial heats. For each Regatta Day race, the team with the fastest time will be assigned Stake 1, the second fastest assigned Stake 2, and so on until the slowest team is assigned Stake 5. For more information visit the Time Trials page.
In 2015, we implemented an online booking system. For more information or to book a spin click here.
If you cannot find a Coxswain, Technical Coordinator may be available to take you out for practice until you can find one, should we have one in place. They may also be able to help your crew find a Coxswain.
To become a Coxswain, an individual must be nineteen (19) years of age as of December 31st of any year in which the rowing event is held. They must then participate in the Learn to Coxswain program, offered multiple times each season.
Any oarsperson, rower or spare, is only permitted to register and row with one (1) crew.
In order for any crew to use our facilities and utilize the veribook system, they must have their registration, waivers and fees submitted (via EMT – [email protected] ) prior to booking a spin.
