1981

by David Ross, Staff Writer

Bright colors and smiling faces were the dominant sights at the 10th Annual Renforth Regatta held on Saturday.

It was a perfect day for the event -- there was plenty of sunshine and the waterfront and surrounding area were ablaze with color.

There were flashy banners and flags strung between trees, brightly bedecked soccer-playing fields; there were rainbow striped sails out on the lake, azure and red-uniformed musicians, and enough beautifully bronzed bodies to catch anyone's eye.

Many people of all ages turned out to take part in a myriad of events. There was a particularly large contingent of children, the younger ones with balloons in one hand and their mother's hand in the other, and the older ones in shorts or swimsuits, obviously enjoying the sun and water.

Indeed the waterfront was the central attraction. The day’s events there included a great deal of recreational swimming, as well as competitions in swimming, sailing, and rowing.

Of all those, the rowing races were the highlight.

Rowers from four clubs -- the Kennebecasis Rowing Club, the Fredericton Rowing Club, and the North Star and MicMac Rowing Clubs from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia -- were on hand to take part in a total of 10 races.

The long sleek shells made a pretty sight as they knifed through the water with picturesque cliffs and a plethora of boats in the background.

The rowers' efforts were fully appreciated by the large crowd that gathered on the pier at the finish to cheer them on; and further excitement was provided by a loudspeaker system that blared out the standings during the race, direct from a power boat alongside the rowers.

When the final results were tallied the rowers from the Kennebecasis club came out on top, winning four of the 10 races, including the men's open fours for the Renforth Cup.

The winning team in that race was composed of Norman Demers, Mark Allan, Henry Flood and brother Brian Flood.

The home team, sporting black jerseys with a red stripe, also triumphed in the men's pairs with the brother team of Henry and Brian Flood; in the men's lightweight (under 155 pounds) fours with the team of Rick Cassidy, John Allan, and once again the Flood brothers; and in the day's final race, the mixed 500-metre dash, with an un- named assortment of male and female rowers.

The Mic Mae team finished next in the standings, taking three races -- the women's fours with cox, the men's fours with cox, nd the women's eights.

The North Star Rowing Club contingent took two races; the men's lightweight eights, and the men's open eights, which earned them the coveted Ontario Cup.

The lone triumph for the Fredericton team came in the women’s pairs.

The races, with the exception of the mixed dash, were all over a distance of 1,000 metres. They were run off smoothly and efficiently under the direction of Kennebecasis Rowing Club president and founder Dr. C. H. Bonnycastle.

Yet the rowing races were by no means the only attraction. Far out into the Kennebecasis River, sailboats took part in the race divided into four categories.

The course covered five legs and a distance of approximately 11 miles and featured boats ranging from Hobo Cats to lasers which took anywhere from 75 to 105 minutes to complete the course.

In Class "A" (30 feet and over), the winner was Cy Pringle of Saint John, in his boat named "Afternoon Delight".

In class "B" (20 to 30 feet) the winner was Cy Pringle of Saint John in "Fathom IV," followed by Hans Klohn of Saint John in "Viking II", and Bill Nase of Saint John in "Illusions."

Class "C" was the Hobi Cars, which consist of two 16-foot pontoons straddled by a stretched piece of canvas and two brightly colored sails.

There were 16 boats entered in the race, one of four that comprised a total points regatta for the Hobis.

First place in the category went to Allan Sinclair of Halifax and crew Charlene Albert in their boat "Stardust". Second place went to Jim Shepherd of Saint John and crew Andrew Shepherd in their boat "Nauti Cat". In third place was Fred Kennedy, who raced in a borrowed boat in what was his first time sailing a Hobi Cat.

Class "D" was for boats under 20 feet and the winner was Sean Sullivan of Saint John, with David Regan of Saint John placing second and Roly MacDonald of Rothesay placing third.

All four divisions were handicap races, meaning that times were adjusted according to the sailors experience and the boats' hull speed.

As well as the events at the waterfront, there were also many dry land attractions.

Music was abundant.

The opening ceremonies were carried out to the tunes of four pipers from the Caledonian Pipe Band of Saint John; outdoor entertainment was provided by the Lancaster Kiwanis Steel Band; and the Bier Garten fearured "Three’s Company" and "Night Breeze."

The Rothesay Kings Rotary Club provided hot dogs, hamburgers, soft drinks and watermelon for the regatta.

Various games booths were also set up, including a frisbee toss, a fish pond, and a lively dunk tank.

Meanwhile, soccer and fastball games took place throughout the afternoon.

On the soccer field were games involving eight under-10 teams of boys and girls from the Saint John and District Soccer League. When the final game of the tournament wound down the winners were the Renside Reds who triumphed 2-1 over the Gondola Point Whitecaps.

On the gravelly baseball field, 10 teams took part in the Renforth Exporter Invitational Fastbalt Tournament, the victors were Ray’s Auto Body, who defeated Capital Electric 6-3.

Altogether, it was quite an exciting day for the residents of Renforth and visitors to the area.

In the words of regatta chairman Peter Flood: "What at a place to be on a Saturday afternoon!"