It's a go! The 198th Royal St. John's Regatta organizers make the call
If you played regatta roulette, consider yourself a winner.
The Royal St. John's Regatta got the green light to go ahead in St. John's at 5:40 a.m. Wednesday morning.
And the 198th running of TheRoyal St. John's Regatta is a GO! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RSJR16?src=hash">#RSJR16</a>
—@StJohnsRegatta"It was an easy call," said Paul Rodgers, president of the Royal St. John's Regatta Committee, citing a slightly cloudy, but not very windy forecast.
"It's going to clear, and we're hoping by 11 it'll clear right off and it'll be a beautiful Regatta Day."
Races kick off at 8:00 a.m. and run throughout the day, with the women's championship race scheduled for 6:30 p.m., and the men's at 7 p.m.
For the first time in its history, organizers have set up a large TV screen so rowing fans can see all the action, no matter where the rowers are.
"We're going to have a drone follow the races down the pond, and then they will be broadcast live right onto the screen at the top of the pond. A real big improvement for viewers around the lake," said Rodgers.
The race OK also means it's officially a holiday in St. John's.
The regatta is the oldest continuous sporting event in North America.