Reading Amateur Regatta is a rowing regatta, on the River Thames in England which takes place at Reading, Berkshire on the reach above Caversham Lock. [1]
Rowing, sometimes referred to as crew in the United States, is a sport whose origins reach back to Ancient Egyptian times. It involves propelling a boat on water using oars. By pushing against the water with an oar, a force is generated to move the boat. The sport can be either recreational for enjoyment or fitness, or competitive, when athletes race against each other in boats. There are a number of different boat classes in which athletes compete, ranging from an individual shell to an eight-person shell with a coxswain.
A regatta is a series of boat races. The term comes from the Venetian-Italian language regata meaning "contest" and typically describes racing events of rowed or sailed water craft, although some powerboat race series are also called regattas. A regatta often includes social and promotional activities which surround the racing event, and except in the case of boat type championships, is usually named for the town or venue where the event takes place.
The River Thames, known alternatively in parts as the Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At 215 miles (346 km), it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the River Severn.
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The regatta takes place in June and attracts top crews from around the UK. [2] Racing takes place on the 1500-metres downstream course that stretches from St Mary's Island until just short of Reading Rowing Club clubhouse. The regatta takes place on Saturday and Sunday in June and its importance stems from its date, being immediately before entries close for Henley Royal Regatta.
St Mary's Island is a tiny island in the River Thames in England. It has a size of about 150 m by 50 m.
Reading Rowing Club is a rowing club, on the River Thames in England, on the Berkshire bank at Reading close to the town centre just above Caversham Bridge, the westerly bridge in the town on the reach above Caversham Lock.
Henley Royal Regatta is a rowing event held annually on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. It was established on 26 March 1839. It differs from the three other regattas rowed over approximately the same course, Henley Women's Regatta, Henley Masters Regatta and Henley Town and Visitors' Regatta, each of which is an entirely separate event.
Reading Amateur Regatta was established in 1842 although it had a chequered history until the 1870s, when Reading Rowing Club was founded and revived interest in it. [3] Its re-establishment was also encouraged by the founding of the Reading Working Men's Regatta on the lower lock reach above Sonning Lock in 1877.
Reading Town Regatta is Reading's rowing regatta. It takes place at the town of Reading in Berkshire on the River Thames in southern England, near the Thames Valley Park business park on the south side of the river. A more local Thames Valley Park Regatta takes place at the same location.
Sonning Lock is a lock and associated weir situated on the River Thames at the village of Sonning near Reading, Berkshire, England. The first lock was built by the Thames Navigation Commission in 1773 and it has been rebuilt three times since then. There is a weir a little upstream at the top of the island where Sonning Backwater separates from the main course of the river.
Another hiatus occurred after World War I, but thenceforth the regatta grew from strength to strength requiring various adaptations to accommodate the entry level. [3] This resulted in a review in 1999 which saw two-lane racing reintroduced on a 1500 metres course by changing from launch to bank umpiring. An ironical conclusion perhaps as in 1844 a ferryman had spent four months in Reading Gaol for attacking an umpire and tipping him into the river with a punt pole in retaliation for disqualification in the previous year's regatta.
World War I, also known as the First World War, the Great War, the Seminal Catastrophe, and initially in North America as the European War, was a global war originating in Europe that lasted from 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918. Contemporaneously described as "the war to end all wars", it led to the mobilisation of more than 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, making it one of the largest wars in history. It is also one of the deadliest conflicts in history, with an estimated nine million combatants and seven million civilian deaths as a direct result of the war, while resulting genocides and the resulting 1918 influenza pandemic caused another 50 to 100 million deaths worldwide.
