The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-09-10
REGATTA DAY.

Regatta Day is coming ALONE apace,
aud will soon be here. Regatta Day Is
essentially the peoples aquatic holiday
and those ia charge always do their
was a good idea a happy idea which
led Representative Robertson to get the
act passed through the Legislature
which set apart this day for general
40 attic sport, in which all classes could
3oin from the men-of-war's men to the
boat boys of the wharves, from the
trained athletes of the clubs to the
paddle welding fishermen, from the
yachtsmen, with their stately, white
winged fleet, to the sailing canoes with
their strip of calico for canvas.
The origin of Regatta Day may be
found in the celebration of King Kala-
kaua's birthday. Every year, while he
was on the throne, the sixteenth of
November was marked by a regatta,
till people began to look for their water
holiday at the fall of the year. There
were some notable races in those days,
and especially among the war ships,
vessels of various nations being often
in harbor then.
But the day fell too late in the year.
There was never any certainty Of good
weather, and though one year it might
be fine, the next two years there might
be as likely as not a heavy southerly
blow, with constant rain squalls.
Yachts have been swamped on Regatta
Day, and on one occasion the great
race of the day came to an ignOm,nious
end by both oe the boats being smash
ed by the waves outside the spar buoy
AID the crews being brought back on
board one of the tugs which had to go
out to their rescue. But in spite of all
drawbacks, a good deal of fun was al
ways anticipated
The choice of September for Regatta
Day is good one. During this month
one is almost sure of brilliant skies
and pleasant weather. A Kona storm
in September would be almost as I'M
likely as a thunder storm in November
in New Zealand. If there should be any
rain it will only come in valley showers.
which cool the air in the morning. and
which are dissipated by the rays of the
midday sun, The only drawback is
that there is sometimes too little wind
for the yachts Let us hope that there
will be enough this year.
But fine days and plenty of material
FOR races will not make a successful
day, unless there is money forthcoming
for the prizes and general expenses
To put money to this purpose is spend
in" it well. Regatta Day is a free for
all holiday. As far as the crowd goes
it need not spend one cent. 1t is not
like June II, where there is gate money
and grand stand money, to help out
the expenses incurred, and indeed
sometimes to cover them. All a person
has to do is to walk down to the har-
Dor front, take up a good position and
watch all the fun that is going on
The sum of money required to make
the day a success is not large, but what
the committee need they should have.
To be successful attractive prizes
should be offered for the canoe races,
the shore boat races, the steamer boat
races, the swimming and diving races.
OF course the amateur rowing clubs
and the yachtsmen 2. dol not require
handsome prizes, and cannot accept
money prizes. Indeed from The Stars
point of view there is a tendency, to
make prizes for amateur sport too Ella
borate and too expensive. If we go
back to classic times a wreath of laurel |
was considered sufIicient'for the most |
famed winner. There is no prize in |
the oxford and Cambridge race, and |
none in the Harvard and Yale. Cups !
need not be of silver. A plain pewter |
may engraved with the name and date
when the race was won, is just as sat
as the costliest kind of a sill |
yer cup.
But if this is true of the amateur, it .
is not true of the fisherman, or the
boat boy, or the man-of-wars crew. |
To these money prizes must be offered, |
and they should be prizes of value |
enough to give each oarsman, or each /
member of the crew in the sailing !
canoes a sufficient little sum. Liberal
prizes should be offered for the swim
ming and diving contests. One is al
most afraid that the old native diving
Is a thing of the past Some of those
Did fellows were wonderful divers.
They used to go under without a
spash, and th.n when one almost
thought that some accident had hap
pened, a grey head would bob up, and
a cultural tale" would announce the
arrival of the veteran at the surface.
But that race has long gone away to |
It's long home, and the modern divers
are not the equals of those Of the past.
The entire and complete success Of
the Regatta Day depends upon the
and it is to be hoped that
the committees efforts to raise funds
will be literally met. and that no mig