Thursday, August 22, 1996

Editorial

Renforth's Great Race: May the best crew win

This is Renforth's week to bask in the sun.

Saturday at 7:30 p.m. (mark it on your calendar) the little community by the Kennebecasis will mark the 125th anniversary of the Great Rowing Race of 1871 with a re-enactment. A century and a quarter ago, the community gained international fame - and its name - by hosting a world-class rowing competition., the World Championship between Saint John's own "Paris" crew and England's Newcastle-on-Tyne crew.

The Saint John rowers had already earned their laurels by winning the World Championship in Paris in 1867 and the Championship of America the following year. In 1870 they were defeated by a crew led by James Renforth, the champion sculler of England and, determined to regain their title, they challenged James Renforth to a rematch on the Kennebecasis.

On Aug.23, 1871, 15,000 people swarmed to the site for the great race, one that was to be six miles long. Among their number were newspapermen from three countries and, as our "Waterworld" correspondent Alison Hughes wrote the other day, "they got a story beyond anything they'd dreamed of." The Tyne crew met with disaster before even reaching the halfway point. When called on for an extra spurt of effort, James Renforth called out in a half-smothered voice and collapsed. An hour later, after being rowerd to shore, England's champion sculler was dead of pulmonary apoplexy.

In honour of that great if tragic occasion, the Village of Renforth is hosting "Regatta 125." It is both a historical re-enactment of that race held just four years after Confederation as well as a competitive modern race, one that is about history, heritage and old connections forged anew.

The race slated for Saturday is 6,000 metres long, three times the length of the Olympic events. Spectators will see the teams leave the Renforth wharf starting line and set out for another 1,500 metres before sprinting to the finish line again.

The Tyne crew arrived in Saint John last Saturday night, a quartet of hulking young men up to six foot five inches in height who will surely give the local "Great Race" crew a row for their money.

The organizers of the race, former Renforth mayor Greg Zed and his team, are to be congratulated for getting the Tyneside crew here and mounting a weeklong gala in Renforth leading up to the race. With church services, a chowder luncheon, preliminary races, walking tours with David Goss, a gymnastics demonstration and an antique car show the week has already been full.

Tonight there will be a village dinner and auction where those attending can meet and greet the British crew. Friday there is an afternoon fair and Saturday -race day - kick's off with a celebrity pancake breakfast with New Brunswick's Olympians (including Marianne Limpert), basketball, a beer garden and a couple of preliminary rowing races before the one we've been waiting 125 years for starts at 7:30.

It's going to be quite a week in Renforth. And it's going to be a race to remember. May the best men win.