Unfortunately, with every tale about fun and merry making, there must come a tale of tragedy.
The songs and poems about the Royal St. John's Regatta are no different. In fact, given its long and varied history, it is amazing that there are not more tales of tragedy or poems in memorium. In 185 years, there have only been 5 deaths during a Regatta. William Fogarty died from "violent excitement" and Sgt. Charles Peters drowned. While these are tragic deaths, they are not as sad as the deaths of Samuel Gosse, John Martin and Mogue Power who drowned when their boat, the Terra Nova, became swamped. The following is a poem that appeared shortly after the tragic incident.
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The Fatal Race: August 6th, 1884
Originally published: August 16th, 1884
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Though song, story and poem may have once been the major method of communicating the results and merry making of the races, it is no less important to acknowledge those pieces of literary works that have taken form in the more recent years. Many, authors, poets and songwriters take their cues from years past and use the Regatta as a source of inspiration to fuel their works.
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St. John's Regatta 1989
By: Michael A. Butler
Published in: Seniors' News 1989 |
Much of the literature about the Royal St. John's Regatta comes from a third person point of view. Some describe the races from the point of view of the spectator, from children, or from someone who is visiting the Regatta and taking in all of its sites, sounds and smells.
However, the Oarsman of the Year for 1994, Ed Williams, gave the general public a unique look at the Regatta, from his point of view - that of an oarsman. This is taken from experiences of rowing in the Championship Race, and paints a clear picture of what it must be like.
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The Last Race of the Day
By: Ed Williams
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The songs, stories and poems are just as much part of Regatta history as the races, personalities and concessions themselves. While this section has focused mainly on sampling the poems and short prose of the Regatta, the stories don't end there. Just ask someone who has been around for a while to tell you about the Regatta.
Bet you'll hear a doozey of a tale!
