HENLEY Regatta was founded by the townspeople of Henley at a meeting in the town hall on March 26, 1839, just over 170 years ago.
Allowing for the missing war years, this will be the 160th regatta.
The popularity of the event brought royal patronage in 1851 and Henley Royal Regatta has since become the “Mecca” for rowers from all round the world.
The success of the regatta is a combination of many different factors.
First and foremost is its location. The Thames Valley must be one of the most beautiful areas in southern England and Henley-on-Thames must be one of its most attractive towns.
When the tents, grandstands and river installations are all in place by the end of June each year, first-time visitors to Henley, standing on Henley Bridge, cannot fail to be impressed by the stunning picture that is presented.
Then there is the nature of the event itself, or rather the many different events that take place at the same time.
There is a major national regatta — the pinnacle for the majority of club, school and student rowers from the UK and overseas.
There is a top-class international level to the regatta, which attracts Olympic and world championship competitors who test themselves in the side-by-side, knock-out format that is so different from Olympic six-lane competition.
This mixture of levels and backgrounds allows schoolboys and ordinary club rowers to share the same boat tent and changing rooms as Olympic champions.
For the overseas rowers, in particular, one of their strongest memories will be of the generosity and friendship shown to them by the people of Henley who open their houses to accommodate vast numbers of very large boys and girls who are “always hungry”.
The regatta is also a great place to meet old friends each year, to celebrate anniversaries of former glories, to hold reunions and to bump into old colleagues from decades ago.
The dress code in the stewards’ enclosure (a members’ club) is designed to maintain a certain standard and to evoke the atmosphere of an Edwardian tea party.
However, in the boat tent area and in the regatta enclosure (open to the public) there is no dress code and anything goes.
Further down the river, on land not owned by the regatta, the theme of “anything goes” is reinforced.
Here, the event takes on the atmosphere of a carnival, a festival, a children’s party, a shopping experience, a happening!
As long as you are capable of walking down the towpath from the downstream end of the regatta enclosure towards the start you can enjoy the regatta entirely “for free”. Thousands of people do exactly that, particularly on a sunny, July weekend.
Finally, of course, there is the River Thames and the guaranteed magic of being by, or on, the water.
Boats are available for hire and there is no better way of getting close to the action than by being in a small boat moored to the booms, close to the finish.
On behalf of the stewards of Henley Royal Regatta, I welcome you all to the 160th regatta.
Mike Sweeney
Chairman, Henley Royal Regatta
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Published on 29 June 2009
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