The 85th Annual Angligan Church Regatta happened Wednesday, hosted at Port Cunnington Lodge. Port is one of the oldest, most historic resorts on Lake of Bays. Now owned by the Wadsworth family, it has been beautifully restored and renewed, and remains one of the lake's showcases. And, generously, it hosts the Regatta. This means tons of people milling about, cars to park, canoes to beach, bake sales to house. Commotion.
Nancy was late arriving -- she is the "commodore" of this event, which means she spends the day on the dock, with microphone in hand, keeping the event moving and entertaining folks with stories of the local lake history. En route, she found a Barred Owl on the road, hit by a car. This beautiful bird had been badly damaged in the collision, but since he was wearing a leg band, it is necessary that the information flow forward to the Naturalists concerned. So the bird went into a recyclable shopping bag in the back of the car. At the regatta site, she asked about maybe parking the car in the shade... and was generously offered the use of a corner of the big walk in freezer, where the owl resided (well bundled in plastic bags) for the duration. The barred owls are the ones we hear on the hills almost every night, calling "Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you, aaaaaalllll???"
One of our favourite events happens at the beginning of the Regatta -- the Bishop's Cup Canoe Marathon. Four miles of hard paddling. Now, it seems to be a given that James and Grant from Nor'Loch, another of the participating resorts at the Regatta, OWN the Bishop's Cup. These boys have won it five years running, proving their paddling prowess. They're awesom.
Each year Bondi has new entrants. This year, Rob Kallin and Alex Button battled into the medals, coming a close third. Last year, Brian Tapley and Janiece deJong just missed this placing, by a close canoe bow.
It seems dubious that anyone's going to catch the Nor'Loch Lads anytime soon, but next year, we'll be pulling for the Silver!!
The regatta is held at the end of July or the beginning of August, alternating each year between Port Cunnington and Lumina -- the two big resorts best able to host this event. It is a curious sidebar that despite overcast skies, it never rains on the Regatta. We figure that's because the Minister of the Anglican charge at Lake of Bays knows who to talk to about the weather! This is a big fundraiser for the four Lake of Bays churches, and it's a truly fun way to enjoy the summer. One look at the kids' faces proves that!
Highlights include the silent auction and the fabulous Bake Sale table, with endless goodies provided by the local cooks.
It's a grand lake tradition, from the swim races, right through to the de rigeur sinking of the War Canoes at the day's end.
