Regatta, accursed regatta

There is a regatta in our quiet English tow this weekend, along the River Thames.. Sounds high class and sophisticated, right? Wrong! It's a pandemonium of drunken people, from teenagers to the elderly. Our uiet little town often end up into a pandemonium. I call it Sodom and Regatta. Sometimes things get nasty. Thankfully, there is generally a heavy police presence, which always feel surreal. When we lived near the town centre, we used to spend the whole Saturday in. Sunday is more family friendly, I guess because everybody is hungover. All the same, I still don't like it much.

Evil regatta

This weekend, like every once a year, our quiet little town is hosting a regatta along our side of the River Thames. Or, as I call the event, Sodom and Regatta. Because lots and lots of people get drunk, from teenagers to elderly, and sometimes things get nasty. Thankfully, we no longer live near the town centre. I already read on social media that some thieves tried to steal alcohol from some of the local shops. I hope they get caught. Tomorrow is meant to be quieter and generally more family friendly. But I can't help thinking this regatta brings the worst out of people.

Keeping calm and vigilant

This weekend, starting this evening, our town will have its local regatta. One of the downsides of leaving by the Thames. Which means a lot of people in fancy suits and dresses, from teenagers to elderly, will end up very, very drunk. I have seen it, I even nicknamed it Sodom and Regatta. There will be lots of police presence, and I know cops can be heavy handed if a drunkard becomes too loud or worse aggressive. Nevertheless, I will remain vigilant and will keep in mind at all time my old Krav Maga training. I say old but it does not date back from so long ago. In times like this, I am grateful for knowing this skill, even though I am still a novice. My loved ones and myself are safer for it.

Another quiet regatta?

This is the annual local regatta this weekend, where boats will race on the Thames and people will get drunk in fancy dresses and suits. This is what usually happens anyway and one of the reasons why I don't like the event much. Read my post here for more details why. Last year has been quieter, to my surprise and relief. More police presence apparently calmed people down. This year's regatta seems to be going the same way: we went to the town center this afternoon and, while we saw a few people drinking, there was no drunkenness. The streets were also mainly walked by "normal" people, nobody in evening suits or elegant dresses but locals doing their normal weekend business. Of course we don't live near the town center anymore, so we are away from the heart of the (potential) storm. Tonight might be different. So I am glad we don't live nearby anymore.

Quiet regatta

This weekend, the town where we live is hosting its annual regatta. It is not an event I like much, as the town gets full of drunken people from all ages. I nicknamed it Sodom and Regatta. Apparently, it has been quieter this year, so far anyway. Apart from some drunkard shouting in the middle of the night on Friday, which woke us up, we had no serious disturbance. When I went out last evening, the crowd of elegant women and men holding bottles of Prosecco and beers was rather thin. Now most of the event is over and the decadent goers (regatters?) are now most likely nursing an epic hangover, so we might go by the river to see the event for a bit.

Sunday at the Regatta

I never thought I would say this, especially not after my last post on the topic, but Sunday I had a lovely time at the regatta. Granted, I didn't see the boats (this picture was taken back in 2013 at a completely different time and yes I uploaded it before) and I barely saw the Thames. But it was as if the bad crop from the day and night before were all suffering from a heavy hangover (which they probably were) and all that was left was the family and community orientated events. I really felt like I belonged here, in this town, and it does not happen very often. In the afternoon my wife gave a concert as a member the local orchestra in the park by the Thames. Typing this, I guess we are really locals now. Anyway, so she gave her concert in the afternoon and then in the evening we went to see an operetta by Offenbach, showing live on a screen, in the park again. The night was cool, but I had thought to bring warm clothes and even the discomfort of sitting of the ground and getting pins and needles had some kind of charm. Watching a show outdoor simply enhances the experience with a unique atmosphere. It just felt right. So I am surprised to say, but it was the best Sunday I had in a very long time.

Sodom and Regatta

This weekend, our usually quiet little town is hosting a regatta. One of the apparent advantages of dwelling by the River Thames. I said apparent, because I think now the regatta is more a curse than a blessing. I blogged about it back in 2010. Basically, it may have been a great event at some point in the town's history, but it is now an excuse for people of all ages to get seriously wasted on alcohol while they wear fancy clothes. I went out twice yesterday, once in the afternoon, once in the evening. The first time there were many people, men in suits and women in posh dresses, all wearing bottles of beer, cocktail or wine, already drinking. When I went out in the evening to buy groceries, they were the same people, from teenagers to elderly, all smartly dressed, all drunk. I might have been the only sober person in the street.

I did not feel in danger, but I remained aware of any potential danger. There was a heavy police presence. I saw one police officer helping a drunken woman in her forties (I think) who was for some reason prostrated by the entrance of a shop, looking in pain, although I could not see any wound or anything like this. How can someone get drunk in high heels? If most people seemed happily drunk, some teenagers may have sounded somewhat aggressive. I don't know how it was in the pubs. As I said, although there was no clear and present danger, I remained aware of the possibility, so I did not spend much time out. And I felt glad to learn Krav Maga. It was also at the back of my mind the whole time: this is why I decided to learn self-defense. I had a thought about one of fellows Krav Maga-er, who is a barmaid in a local pub and who I know was working tonight. I understood yesterday why she decided to learn herself. So that's it, yesterday this quiet little town by the Thames seemed to have been transformed into a modern Sodom and Gomorrah. Go figure.

Crowded little town

This weekend, the town where I live is hosting a regatta. It used to be a prestigious event, now it is an excuse for drinking and to hold a fayre. It also means that the town gets very crowded, with plenty of people coming in for the weekend, dressed nicely, but mainly here for the booze. Yesterday evening I could tell it was that time of the year: there were tickets attendants at the train station, even though there is hardly a train station to talk of. The place was also swarming with police officers. The overpacked streets is already strange enough, but the police presence adds to the surreal feel.