Royal Visit
Henley Royal Regatta – The Ultimate Guide
As the Regatta was instituted long before national or international rowing federations were established, it occupies a unique position in the world of rowing. Due to the event having its own rules it is not subject to those laid out by the Amateur Rowing Association. It is a very social event with many quality Henley hospitality services in operation. In fact Henley is second only to Cheltenham hospitality on the corporate entertainment calendar.
Unlike multi-lane international regattas, Henley still operates a knock-out draw with only two boats racing in each heat. This involved organising up to a hundred races on a number of the 5 days. Each race is started at 300 second intervals to ensure the event comes to completion in time.
The Regatta is 112 metres longer than that of the standard length which is two thousand metres. For much of the day there are 2 races going on at once as it takes around 7 minutes to complete each. The Finals are raced on the last day of the event, meaning that the number of races needs to be cut down each day leading up to the last.
There are 19 events in total: 6 classes of race for Eights, 5 for Fours (3 coxless and 2 coxed), 4 for Quadruple Sculls, and races for Coxless Pairs and Double Sculls. In addition there are single sculling races for both men and women. The first women competed in a full Regatta race in 1993 when a new event was inaugurated, the Women Single Sculls. Quadruple Sculls for both men and women were introduced in 2001 after an open event for Women’s Eights began in 2000.
Many crews from abroad visit every year including crews from Croatia, Poland and U.S.A. Ninety eight race crews were from overseas last year. A more diverse entry group and higher quality racing crews will mean this year’s Regatta will be better than ever. There will be plenty of corporate events and things to see and do for all ages.
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