14th June: First Henley Regatta

On this date in 1839 the first Henley Regatta was held.

1. Back in March of that year, the mayor of Henley announced that Henley would hold a rowing contest in order to attract visitors to the town. The first regatta took place over just one afternoon, but it was so popular that it became an annual event. The following year the event lasted two days. In 1886 the Regatta was extended to three days and to four in 1906. In 1986 the Regatta was extended to five days.
2. The regatta has been known as Henley Royal Regatta since 1851, when Prince Albert became the first royal patron. Since his death, every reigning monarch has agreed to be the patron.
3. It costs around £3 million a year to stage the regatta. It is mostly funded by the organising stewards - their membership fees and ticket purchases. The Regatta is one of the few major sporting occasions today which doesn't rely on commercial sponsorship or outside subsidy.
4. The regatta pre-dates national and international rowing federations, and therefore has its own rules and isn't subject to their jurisdiction.
5. The rules have caused controversy in the past, however, in particular the definition of what constitutes an amateur (the regatta has always been intended for amateur oarsmen). As well as excluding those who had rowed for prizes of money, or who had earned money from coaching rowers, the definition included one very classist clause, excluding anyone "Who is or has been by trade or employment for wages a mechanic, artisan or labourer." In 1920, an American contestant who had served an apprenticeship as a bricklayer was barred under this rule. The press of the time assumed it was to stop an American from winning the Diamonds. According to the minutes of the management committee, the American also belonged to a boat club which had raised the money for their trip through public donations, which meant he broke two of their rules. This incident may have been forgotten, but for the fact the contestant, John B. Kelly, Sr., had two children. His son won the Diamond Sculls in 1947, and his daughter, Grace, became a world famous movie star and Princess of Monaco. The rules were changed in 1938.
6. The races take the form of knock-out competitions between two crews at a time, which means there can be up to 90 races per day, beginning at five minute intervals.
7. The course is course of 1 mile, 550 yards (2,112 m) long. Each crew is assigned to row on either the 'Bucks' (Buckinghamshire) or 'Berks' (Berkshire) side of the course.
8. The regatta is regarded as part of the English social season, and as such is subject to strict dress codes in the Stewards' Enclosure. Men must wear a jacket (a blazer with rowing club colours will do nicely) and tie. Women must wear dresses with hemlines below the knee. People are checked before they go in and can be turned away if they don't pass muster. Once inside, they must wear their membership badges at all times and not use mobile phones. People have been thrown out of the enclosure for using their phones.
9. The Regatta owns the land on which the Enclosures and car parks are situated and some of the land on the opposite (Buckinghamshire) bank. After the regatta, all traces of it are removed from the river banks and re-erected in time for the next one, in order to preserve the natural beauty of the area.
10. If you're thinking of entering, entries for the regatta close at 6:00 pm sixteen days before the Regatta, and qualifying heats are held the week before. The draw is a public event that takes place in the Henley town hall, normally at 3 pm on the Saturday before the regatta. If there are a number of outstanding crews in an event, the Stewards may pre-select them, to prevent them from meeting too early in the competition.