Wow, hasn’t 2020 been the most unusual year here in Dartmouth for some time? It has quite literally brought us, and the whole of the UK to a complete standstill at times. What a fantastic job our key workers and the NHS have done throughout, we applaud all of them.
We would also like to take the opportunity to express our sincere condolences to all who have suffered losses and illness during this time.
The COVID pandemic has hit Dartmouth hard, with all of our town’s stand out events sadly having to cancel; not just the Regatta, but the Dart Music Festival and the Dartmouth Food Festival too.
Its fair to say, and we know our fellow event organisers will agree, there was a lot of hope that we might be able to proceed with at least some sort of event in 2020 however, Government guidelines made it clear that this could not happen. It was a painful, early decision to take, and the whole committee were unanimous in their opinion that, ultimately, the safety of our community and visitors was paramount.
Whilst Regatta 2020 did not take place, we have taken the opportunity to start slightly earlier and are working hard on planning for 2021. We may currently not have been able to hold large meetings of the whole committee in person, but there have been a few socially distanced coffee meetings between one or two of us, and many zoom meetings, which actually, work rather well! Dartmouth has indeed been very, very busy over the late Summer, and we know the local businesses have worked incredibly hard to try and recoup some of their losses. The community spirit has been alive and well, with so many lovely acts of kindness and thoughtfulness going on amongst us. It really does make you #lovewhereyoulive and appreciate everything we do have. With the hope of vaccination news coming through, we have our fingers very firmly crossed to be able to proceed in 2021 with a repeat (with maybe a few tweaks and additions) of our successful 2019, 175th Royal Regatta.
Perhaps the biggest aspect of Dartmouth Regatta that we have been working on is a brand new website. Ta Da! We are delighted to announce that here it is!
We feel that this new site is well overdue as our old site was getting outdated and we have worked with a local and very talented design agency, Wonder Associates. They have produced what we hope you will agree, is a super smart, quick, easy to read, informative and welcoming website for everyone to use. We think it sums up Dartmouth Royal Regatta perfectly. Friendly, inclusive and fun!
All news will be published as it happens, but please also follow us on our social media to keep up to date. We welcome your feedback, so please have a look around, and let us know what you think.
Looking forward, we wish everyone a happy, safe and enjoyable Christmas period. Remember to shop locally where you can, let’s make our town smile and support all the businesses we have here.
See you all in 2021 when, at some point, we hope life can return to normal – and most importantly, on 25, 26, 27, 28 Aug 21 for the 176th Port of Dartmouth Royal Regatta.
