Hyflodraulic killed it at every turn, winning at Placentia, Harbor Grace and St. John’s to claim the Triple Crown of Rowing. The women crossed the finish line in 5:11—slightly slower than the 5:08 in the first race of the day. It is the third consecutive championship of Royal St. John’s Regatta. NTV won their second consecutive men’s title. Regatta legend Tony Barrington continues to be an inspiration to this crew. Donnie Dexter says it was Tony who convinced him to take up rowing. They won with a time of 9:40. Hyflodraulic – triple crown champions at Royal St. John’s Regatta. Time 5:11 pic.twitter.com/MsGc1l1Xm5 — Brian Madore (@bmadorevocm) August 4, 2022 Regatta President Noelle Thomas Kennell says this Regatta, the first full day of racing in three years has been daunting, but her vendors say sales far exceeded their expectations. And for many, it’s been the closest thing to normalcy in more than two years. Among those strolling the shores of Lake Quidi Vidi was MP Seamus O’Regan, who noted that the Regatta has always been there in difficult times. He says his return, even in wartime, was a sign of a return to normalcy. While he doesn’t compare COVID to the reality of war, he said the virus has been very hard on people in many ways, including mental health, and a regular regatta was just a big relief. The councilor of St. John’s Debbie Hanlon said she could feel the positivity among the locals and the visiting crowd. He says the town is “bursting at the seams” with tourists, with a jovial spirit among the lakeside thousands, “in and out of the beer scene”.
