Evening times-Globe, Saint John, N.B., August 29th, 1971

N.S. Rowers Win 3 Events

By BARBARA PRESTON

Torches bobbed along Renforth Wharf Saturday night setting off a 25-minute firecracker display to mark the end of the day’s Regatta events.

Hundreds, maybe thousands, laughed and gasped in awe while the colored jets soared from the wharf into the misty air above. For many it was the climax of the week-end celebrations, because it marked the end of the family activities except for the church service yesterday.

The events which kept the Renforth Community Centre and beach are crowded during the entire weekend - in spite of weather which was not perfect were acclaimed as "very successful" by organizers.

R. Gordon L. Fairweather, MP-Funday-Royal, expressed his pleasure in the celebrations. He’d been on the scene most of Saturday. "It’s success," he said, "was a confirmation of what I expected.

"The Renforth community has led in providing facilities for teenagers, in planning pollution control, and now in organizing community activity."

The big item on Saturday’s program was the 100th anniversity re-running of the historic race and tragedy that gave the community its name.

Capitalizing on their closest rival’s misfortune, the North Star Rowing Team No. 1 from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, captured the featured International Memorial Race.

The incident which gave the Nova Scotia entry the clear lead of over two boat lengths with which they won was the result of a launch moving in the course. It created, said crew-member Ian Lanthall, "a rather large wash and swell. The bowman hit this and it jerked him backwards off his seat and into a slide.

"So, he missed about four or five strokes at a rather critical point when we were sprinting towards the finish line," he said.

The boats were estimated to be moving at speeds of 38-40 mph ranging to 50 mph at the finish line in their 42-foot shells.

The winning North Star crew was comprised of Ralph Ward as stroke, Ron McCready, Brian Sawler and bow and steer man Dave Thomas.

That race, and the single-shell race in which John Ross of the Micmac Team was victorious, and the North Star No. 2 team race with the four members of the Micmac crew taken by the North Star, touched off an afternoon of swimming, diving, canoe-racing and sailing competitions.