Regattas in the South

Following Hart and Cook's race in 1838 the annual regatta on the Port River soon became a regular and highly popular fixture on the Adelaide sporting calendar. The race might be seen as part of colonial efforts to recreate a slice of England in a new 'backyard'. With his stove-pipe trousers and jaunty boater, the figure on this trophy lid reflects English sporting traditions imported to South Australia.

The 1866 Port Adelaide Regatta was well attended with the South Australian Register reporting that the river was 'alive with interested spectators'. The steamer Goolwa served as flagship and the Eleanor and Young Australia ferried spectators to different spots during the day. The regatta comprised several sailing and rowing races as well as a number of novelty events. The cup was resented by his Excellency Sir Dominic Daly (Governor of South Australia) to the winning four oared gig Edith crewed by J Shaw (Stroke), WH Hopkins, Smith, Ring (bow), J Fletcher (Cox).

At the 1888 Port Adelaide Regatta yachts, fishing vessels and coastal vessels competed in a series of events held throughout the day. Oarsmen also participated and there were novelty games such as Greasy Pole and Duck hunt.

The 1907 Port Adelaide Regatta included serious sail races and amusements such as greasy pole competitions. Thousands attended from the local community and beyond.

The South Australian Rowing Association held a regatta on the Port River, Saturday 21 February in 1925. Races included Champion eight sculls, Maiden clinker fours, and the Le Hunte rowing cup. Officials adjudicated from the deck of the SS Vigilant and the Commonwealth, Adelaide, Torrens, Port Adelaide, Mannum, Renmark and Murray Bridge rowing teams all competed.

The popular tradition of regattas soon spread around South Australia.

Other events began to be held, along with the popular rowing regattas, including sailing regattas.

Part of the thrill of regattas is the competition, and the honour of winning a trophy.

The Dallas Brooks trophy, named in honour of a former Governor of Victoria, was awarded annually from 1951 to the winners of Australian 12sq. Metre Championships and Australian Lightweight Sharpie Championships.

South Australian, Sir James Hardy, was one of the most accomplished sailors of this type of vessel in Australia and won the Dallas Brooks trophy in 1959. The museum owns four of his vessels including his sharpie ‘Tintara’, built for the Olympic trials in Melbourne in 1956.

Lightweight sharpies with shallow drafts were suitable for South Australia's gulf waters and were embraced with enthusiasm.

The Australian Sharpie is a three-person sailing dinghy which has evolved from the 12-square-metre class sailed in the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. Australian Sharpies are 19 feet,  11 3⁄4 inches long, with a planing hull and a single mast. Sharpies race with a fully battened mainsail, a jib and a spinnaker. They are sailed competitively in all six Australian states.

This trophy was awarded at the inaugural Torrens Lake rowing regatta, 1881.

The tradition of the Henley-on-Torrens Regatta continues in the twenty-first century. Adelaide Rowing Club hosted the event in November 2014, and it proved an exciting day of racing.

Its success illustrates how regattas remain popular, both as competitive sport, and as community events.