The regatta comes to St. Catharines
In 1880 the Canadian Association of Amateur Oarsmen (CAAO), established earlier that year, inaugurated an annual rowing regatta — simply called the “Annual Regatta” (not “Henley” or “Royal Henley” regatta; that would come later).
The first regatta was held in Toronto, but the course chosen there turned out to be problematic. A peaceful body of water was needed to have a proper rowing regatta, and no truly suitable course was available in Toronto. Numerous other locations in other cities were tried in subsequent years, but in each of those the currents, prevailing winds, or other factors were less than ideal.
Late in 1902 the CAAO directors accepted an invitation to come to St. Catharines to assess Martindale Pond as a possible venue for future races. They apparently liked what they saw — a body of water with virtually no current, sheltered from crosswinds in a sort of bowl, and located in a community conveniently located near the border for access by American and other international competitors.
Early in 1903 the CAAO informed St. Catharines that if it did want to host the competition there were certain requirements: it would have to have a local rowing club to organize and host the competition, as well as a grandstand for spectators and a clubhouse with storage space for sculls. All of this was expected to cost some $7,000.
The St. Catharines Board of Trade took up the challenge and began making the necessary arrangements. City council quickly granted $2,500 of that sum, and in due course the remaining $4,500 was raised by other local groups.
In short order St. Catharines Rowing and Canoe Club was founded to host the regatta, local contractor Ed. Nicholson built a proper grandstand, and the gateyard building belonging to the canal was pressed into service as a temporary clubhouse pending completion of a proper facility.
The 1903 regatta — for the first time called the Canadian Henley Regatta — apparently was an all-round success, so CAAO authorities decided to return to Martindale Pond again in 1904 … and then again in 1905 … and the rest is history. The regatta has never been held any place else since then, and Martindale Pond has also been the scene for numerous other major rowing events, notably the world rowing championships in 1970 and 1999.
Our old photo this week shows a view not of the competitors but of the spectators at the 1925 regatta. It looks as if they were not exactly official, paying spectators, perched as they were in various precarious and uncomfortable places that at least had a good, inexpensive view of the finish line. Visible on the left is the wooden shed enclosure that once stood atop the weir structure next to Lock 1 of the third canal. That structure itself (since removed) had its own connection with the regatta — for years it was the place where rowing crews would leave their marks for posterity by painting their names on the building’s sides.