Wonderful Whitby Blog

Whitby Regatta this year was a most memorable experience for many people over the weekend of the 13th, 141th and 15th August 2011.  The weather was incredibly kind throughout and the sun shone wonderfully on the Regatta Monday.

This year was the 171st Whitby Regatta and it is one of the oldest regattas in this country. Primarily originating from the racing of local fishermen and their fishing boats, it has evolved into its present day format comprising not only of the amateur rowing teams but various activities on the West Cliff and West Cliff beach alongside the fair on Whitby West Pier and the spectacular firework display which brings the three day event to a close.

The Whitby Regatta Committee and their team of volunteers work incredibly hard to organise  the events.  Any monies collected from members of the public are used to fund the following years events.

The rowing races were cheered on by large crowds all along the harbour and piers with good-natured banter between the teams.   The teams of rowers comprising of girls, boys, ladies and men all of varying ages, are testament to the dedication of the rowing club’s organisers’ commitment to the youth of Whitby.

For the three day event on Whitby’s  West Cliff there were a huge number of attractions ranging from the glamorous grandmothers competition and the beautiful baby contest to a motorbike and quad gymkhana on the beach.  Beautiful vintage cars were on display alongside their proud owners on the grassy banks and on the opposite side of the road, tractors, motorbikes and scooters gleamed in the Royal Crescent Gardens.

The army, navy and airforce ‘roadshows’  were in attendance as in previous years with the addition of the obstacle course provided free by the army much to the delight of the youngsters (and those not so young).    A dog show attracted a number of entrants and, keeping on the animal theme, there were birds of prey, owls and reptiles on display.  A new novelty this year was the pig racing viewed with much amusement by the crowds.

A mountain bike display, a fun-run, the annuual tug-of-war, bouncy castles, dodgems, pick-a-pen, trampolines, sweet stalls a ‘witch’, punch and judy, face-painting and many more activities added to the atmosphere on the Whitby’s West Cliff over the weekend.

In addition to the rowing races out to sea and in the harbour, there was the added amusement of the annual raft race.  The lifeboat led the yachts into the harbour for the sailpast adding to the maritime feel.

On Regatta Monday the parade was led by Miss Regatta followed closely by 16 men pulling the old lifeboat, the William Riley, (no mean feat when considering at one point the parade marched uphill on Khyber Pass).  Two jazz bands marched with musical accompaniment, the glamorous granny winner rode in a pony and trap and a charabanc and minature steam train were all in the procession in addition to some original and colourful floats (mechanical and walking).  The absolute stars of the parade were undoubtedly the fancy-dress entrants.  In total there were 92 children in the parade in some stunning costumes which had obviously taken a great deal of time in the making.  There were some truly original and comical characters displayed and it must have been extremely difficult for the judges to award the prizes.

The team of the Red Arrows thrilled and delighted the crowd on the West Cliff.  Large crowds waited in anticipation for the arrival of the 9 Red Arrow acrobatic team in their traditional red hawk jets.  Although perhaps not the clearest of skies, the visual impact of the jets and their trademark coloured vapour trails held the crown in awe and suspense.  As they performed their acrobatic display there were audible cheers and applause making this one of the most memorable aspects of the regatta for many of the crowd.  Sadly, nearly a week later, one of the Red Arrow’s team crashed in Dorset.  Our sympathies are with the family, friends and colleagues of the pilot involved.

The fair on Regatta Monday which stretched along Pier Road and to the end of Whitby West Pier was, as usual, a mixture of rides, stalls, thrills and spills.  The crowds were milling around from dawn to dusk enjoying the ‘fun of the fair’.

The conclusion of the three day Whitby Regatta was the explosive firework display on Monday evening on the East Pier.  To the delight of the crowd they were treated to a spectacular pyrotechnic event.  This year’s display was particularly spellbinding and  a fitting finale to the 171st Whitby Regatta, a festival on land, sea and air.