Lack of good boats hindered Regatta
A major hitch facing rowers for more than 20 years after the passing of renowned boat builder Bob Sexton was the lack of continuity of the quality of shells being used at the annual Regatta.
After Sexton’s death, it became necessary to seek a craftsman outside Newfoundland and the committee turned to England to find one.
The boats obtained turned out to be a big disappointment at the Regatta. They were too heavy, a fact that contributed to slower times.
In 1953, these were replaced by the “Kelowna boats” built in British Columbia, which also were a disappointment.
In 1962, the committee tracked down a Newfoundland born boat builder in Toronto named Richard Simms. In his description of the new Simms Shells, Committee president Gerry Angel commented, “With these lighter shells, we hope to get times under 10 minutes again.”
Simms had prepared well before undertaking his work. Regatta enthusiasm was sparked when he visited St. John’s in December 1961 and took measurements of the most famous of all Regatta shells, the Blue Peter, which was taken off the pond in 1922 and placed on display at the CLB Armoury on Military Road.
Thirteen of the famous Bob Sexton built boats measured 49 feet long and two — the Doctor and the Toga — were 51 feet long. Simms used Blue Peter as a model for his boats.
Simms then took his research to the boathouse to check out the Salter and Kelowna boats, which had been relegated to serving as practice shells. His new shells became known as the Simms boats.
Added enthusiasm was generated when CJON radio put up a $1,000 prize for any crew rowing the course under 9:40. There were no times less than 10 minutes that year.
1967 marked turning point for rowers
The most impressive crew at the 1967 Regatta was Warren’s Texaco Crew, which had won the District Race for the three previous years in addition to becoming the first crew from outside Placentia to win the Placentia Regatta Championship.
They won the Placentia event after getting off to a bad start at the beginning of the race. Their shell tipped over on its side shortly after leaving the stakes. Cox Gordon Tilley recalled, “We lost valuable seconds because of this, but we won the race despite it. It was a credit to the crew.”
The year 1967 marked a turning point in how rowers prepared themselves for the races. In previous years, rowers paid little attention to physical conditioning leading up to Regatta Day. Crews began working longer and harder at physical conditioning and practice sessions.
The Warren Crew strategy for 1967 was summed up by Mickey Dwyer, a member of the Hall of Fame, in just two words, “Physical conditioning.”
“We didn’t start to practice until a little over a month before the Regatta. When we couldn’t get out in the boats for a spin on the pond, we would run a couple of miles instead and practice on the rowing machines.”
The conditioning aspect grew and instead of a month before Regatta, crews were working out during winter as well.
Members of the Warren’s Crew were Gordon Tilley, cox; John Warren, stroke; Bill Clarke, Bill Murphy, Gerry Warren, Kevin Cromwell and Mike Dwyer. In later years, Wins Noftall replaced a rower on the famous crew.
Regatta enthusiasm was sparked when Simms visited St. John’s in December 1961 and took measurements of the most famous of all Regatta shells, the Blue Peter, which was taken off the pond in 1922 and placed on display at the CLB Armoury on Military Road.