Budleigh Salterton Regattas in the 19th Century

Interest in this topic has been revived by an article by Trevor Waddington in the Spring 2021 Newsletter from the Fairlynch Museum (click here to read). His interest was stimulated when a print of a regatta in August 1850 was found at the museum, and that is reproduced below. Previously a piece on the regattas had been included in “The Book of Budleigh” written by D. Richard Cann published in 2005 which covered some of the ground researched by Trevor.

As is the case with virtually all of the clubs, societies, and social activities of the town, no written records have been saved and that leaves only articles held at Fairlynch or any newspaper accounts. My own unpublished research several years ago of the on-line National Newspaper Archives covered a wider ground than the two accounts mentioned above and I think is worth printing to add to what has already been written.

The earliest reference was in 12th August 1843 which described,

“This exciting amusement, for which the Coast of Devon is justly celebrated, took place yesterday (Thursday), and was attended by a vast assemblage of youth, beauty, and fashion, who appeared to be highly delighted by the brilliant scene”

This opening eulogy seems to imply that the event had taken place before 1843 but there is apparently no newspaper account of any previous regatta. Budleigh was somewhat behind Exmouth in this regard where the account of the 1820 version of the regatta also shows that races had also taken place in previous years. Sidmouth regattas seemed to have commenced in 1847 but were not always staged (in fact, there was one 11year period before 1869 when there were no events). Both the Exmouth and Budleigh regattas were held annually, although occasionally they were delayed or curtailed due to bad weather but rarely cancelled. As noted subsequently below, there were some times when the Budleigh Regatta was not held for several years.

According to the published list of results the 1843 Budleigh regatta had races for, 1st Class Sailing Boats - won by Mr Hook in the Julia of Exmouth, with Mr Phillips of Exmouth in the Invincible in 2nd place, another Mr Hook from Exmouth in the Saucy Jack was 3rd, and 4th was finally a boat from Budleigh owned by Mr Gilley; boats from Budleigh had more success in a race for 2nd class sailing boats with T. Burch coming in first, followed by James Palmer and then P. Palmer.

There were 2 classes for rowing boats. The result of the 1st class race was, first Speculator (Mr Gibbs), second Scourge (Mr Osmand) and third The Four Sisters (Mr R Barratt), all from Budleigh.  Exmouth had more success in the 2nd class rowing boat race with Mr Pine getting first prize, Mr Grey 2nd prize and Mr R Pike of Budleigh came in third.

The day was completed by a variety of rural sports. Rural sports were often employed at this time as an entertainment at outside events and often there was a band for musical entertainment.

There were brief mentions of the regattas of 1844 and 1845 but from 1846 onwards there tended to be fuller newspaper accounts of the spectacle and of the race results. The account of the 1846 event shows how the regatta was attracting interest from other coastal towns. The first race was for Sloop Sail Boats and was contested between, the Sophia of Lympstone (Captain Crispin), Teatotal Star of Exmouth (Messrs Turners), Cygnet of Exmouth (Mr G Hook) and an un-named boat from Lympstone owned by Mr Shears. There was a bit of controversy because the X. L of Exmouth also came to race and, together with the Cygnet, withdrew before the start, refusing to race with the Sophia on account of its larger size. This was strange because both of them had beaten the Sophia at the Starcross Regatta. The committee decided that the Sophia should be allowed to race as it had never won a race and thus should be allowed to try. In the event it was a “capital race” and closely contested with Teatotal Star narrowly winning; this made it the third year this boat had won the race.

The second race in 1846 was between five Salterton Crab Fishing Boats with Mr Cooper first, Mr Burch second and Mr Sedgemore third.

The third race was for Salterton Sailing Punts and there were 6 entries. (Sailing punts appear to have been a type of small dingy). The result of the race was 1st Mr Bence in The Water Witch, 2nd Mr Algar in Salterton, 3rd Mr John Gibbs in Felicia, 4th Mr G Gibbs in Mary and finally Mr Osborne in A.S.A.

Other races followed, and the first one featured four-oared Mackerel Boats rowed by young men “for a purse of sovereigns”, and the result for the four that started was, 1st Speculator owned by William Trickey, 2nd Hope (James Barnby), 3rd Three Sisters (Robert Pratt) and finally Britannia (John Perriam). This was followed by a race for the same boats but this time they were manned by fishermen and Three Sisters won (John Barratt) followed by Brittania.

There followed a punt race between punts manned by two people and Barratt’s boat won. There were two further races, the first a punt race for boys and the second a very short race where a four-oared mackerel boat chased to capture a punt, and this didn’t take long.

The Exeter and Plymouth Gazette then recounted that the rural sports which were to follow the racing were postponed to the following day as it was getting dark. One of the events the next day involved wheelbarrow racing on the pebble beach.

There was good weather for the 1847 event and this attracted several parties from Exmouth, Sidmouth and elsewhere who came in their pleasure boats, and the Plymouth & Exeter Gazette recorded that “upwards of 70 craft of various dimensions could be seen at one time studding the ocean within the compass of two or three miles”. The racing started at 1.30pm and the first class race that year was closely contested and won by Frolic (Mr Hook) from Exmouth with Teatotal Star second.

There were other sailing races with J Burch in the Hiram taking the most prize money. These were followed by several rowing races, and finally there were two enjoyable punt chases; the first rowed by H Bence who managed to evade a chasing four-oared long boat for half an hour, and then G Bence evaded capture for 25 minutes.

There was quite a fresh breeze for the 1848 regatta which was well attended. The First-Class race featured some old friends with Frolic and Teatotal Star back again contesting this time with Sarah Jane (Mr Monney), Mystery (Mr Pyne) and Lily of the Valley (Mr Shears). Frolic took the lead closely followed by Teatotal Star but “coming up to the mark-boat on completing the first round she carried away some of her gear, and was obliged to give up the contest”. Another contestant carried away her mast-head and also retired. Mystery managed to overhaul Frolic by taking shorter tacks and was the winner.

The second race was won by Mr Cooper and Mr Sedgemore was second.

The first, second and third classes for small sailing craft took place simultaneously “and particular animation thereby given to the scene”.

Rowing races and punt chases completed the regatta. Then followed the usual rural sports.

The 1849 regatta was again well attended by pleasure craft at sea and many visitors on land on a bright sunny day. The first race was for a cup but was delayed by a controversy. Three boats eventually started, Gypsy of 12 tons owned by the MP for Tavistock W.S. Trelawny, Sylph of 9 tons from Exmouth (Mr J C Thiernes), and Cygnet of 6 tons from Exmouth (Captain J Chalmers), however, the Pixie appeared in the morning and, according to the Exeter & Plymouth Gazette was refused entry to the race as it had no license of register. This provoked an angry letter to the editor of the paper in which the owner of Pixie, Mr W F Moore, put his side of the story. He maintained that she “made her appearance, an invited, though it seems unwelcome visitor, and being duly qualified to contend for the principal prize, in spite of some ingenious and not very creditable attempts to prove her otherwise, was entered in the usual form, - and although she took up the last position at starting, was not long in passing her competitors, the nearest of which was distanced by some 50 minutes”. The prize, (“a very beautiful goblet given by the ladies”), was withheld and given to Sylph, and Mr Thiernes, after a short speech, drank to the health “of the fair ladies”. Mr Moore said he was taking legal action to get the cup restored to himself. I don’t know the outcome of the case, if indeed it came to court.

In the next race “for a purse of sovereigns” 4 boats started, 3 from Exmouth and 1 from Lympstone. The Lympstone boat Lily of the Valley owned by Mr Shears won, followed by, in order, Pamela, Mystery, and Teatotal Star. The final three races were for, Budleigh Crab boats, and then two classes of punts. There were the usual rural sports afterwards.

The 1850 regatta was a bit of a curate’s egg. It was scheduled for Thursday 1st August but, on the day, there was so little breeze that the 20-Guinea Cup race and that for the Purse of Sovereigns had to be put off until the 2nd August, and the print of the Cup Race illustrated by Trevor Waddington depicts this delayed race. All of the rowing races did take place on the 1st August, and the rural amusements, “running for caps”, eating bread and treacle, climbing for a leg of mutton (presumably up a greasy pole), jumping in sacks, and several more unlikely amusements kept the many visitors happy. One band went to play afloat on the very placid sea and the other was at the top of the Rolle Arms Green for visitors who wanted to dance. Fireworks ended the evening. The cup race over a 20-mile course was to take place at 11 am next day between Blue Bell, Fawn & Fleur de Marie. It was won by Fawn from Fleur de Marie. Richard Cann also gave an account of the regatta in his book.

The 1851 event also featured a complaint in the race for the Silver Vase (worth 24 guineas), a race for yachts of 35 tons or less. This was contested between 4 boats, the 3 from the previous year plus a smaller boat Esk. This involved a race of three times around a 7-mile course and started at 3 pm. Esk carried away her topmast during the second round and retired and Blue Bell fell a long way behind the other two yachts. The final round between Fawn and Fleur de Marie was a very close contest won by Fawn, however Fleur de Marie entered a protest again Fawn for running across her course. The committee wanted to re-run the race the following day but Fawn declined and claimed the cup. The Committee then decided to refer the matter to the Royal Western Yacht Club for their adjudication. 

The usual race for a purse of 6 sovereigns was between 5 boats from Torquay, Exmouth and Lympstone. Lilly of the Valley from Lympstone was the victor. There followed races for, Lug Sail Boats, 1st class punts and then one for second class punts. Finally, there was a rowing race for 4- oared mackerel boats in which Saucy Jack from Sidmouth beat 2 Salterton Boats. Two light-hearted punt chases completed the regatta.

The usual rural sports, dancing and fireworks ended the evening. The day was marred by the theft of the leg of mutton at the top of the climbing pole by some sailors from one of the yachts that had come to see the racing. These thieves loosened the gravel at the base of the pole while no-one was looking and tipped it over. They were able to get back to their boat before they could be apprehended.

In 12th August 1852 the silver cup race was won by Secret sailed by Mr R Bell Junior who beat Fairy and Heroine.

The 1853 races were scheduled for Thursday August 15th but the weather wasn’t favourable so the regatta took place on Friday 23rd. There were no races for a Silver Cup or Purse of Sovereigns. There was however some good competition between sailing and rowing boats according to the Plymouth & Exeter Gazette. First prize of £6 for Cutter Rig Boats went to Mr Towning in Pamela. The second race for Lug Sail Boats won by Mr Trickey in Fair Maid was worth £2, Mr Algar in Salterton won £1 50s when he was first in the race for Lug Sail Punts. There were 3 rowing races and Mr Evans in Swift won £1 2s 6d in the 2-oared rowing race, and in the 4-oared rowing race (worth £1 17s 6d) Frolic from Sidmouth was the victor followed by Maria also from Sidmouth, with Mr Bence of Budleigh third. £1 11s was claimed by Mr Barratt the winner for a race between 4-oared mackerel boats. The usual hilarious punt race completed the proceedings. 

It appears that there were no regattas for several years after this until 1860. This information comes from the Saturday 8th September 1860 copy of the Western Times newspaper; the regatta had been staged the previous Tuesday. The newspaper attributed the origin of this hiatus to “a misunderstanding in the awarding of a five-and-twenty guinea cup”. As noted above, the awarding of this cup had led to arguments previously. There was no cup race at the last regatta in 1853 so it seems the controversy probably pre-dated that. The newspaper then goes on to state that the Cottage Garden Society formed during the absence of the regatta helped to fill the social void. The newspaper also states that it was chiefly the tradesmen of the town that were the motivating force in getting the regatta up and running again, although the races for the silver cup and the purse of sovereigns were not re-instated.

It was a sunny day with a light breeze and the racing started just before one o’clock with a contest between 2nd class punts twice round a seven- mile course. Three boats took part and the result was, Flora first (Mr Parker), Fairy second (Mr Pratt), followed by Swan (Mr W. Sedgemore).

The next race was for 1st class punts, again going twice round the course. It was won by Mr Gibbs in Mary, followed by Mr Rogers in Mary Lucy and Mr Middleton in Clipper. This was followed by a race twice round the course for 1st class lug sail boats won by Amanda Jane (J. Sedgemore) with Blue Bell second (Mr Potter) and Harriet last (W. Sedgemore).

The final rowing races around a mile and a half course appear to have been contested by boats from Exmouth. The race for 4-oared mackerel boats was described as “perhaps the most exciting race of the day. Chance went ahead but was speedily overhauled by Speculator and Arrow. Speculator maintained her leading position throughout and won by a length. Arrow was the second boat and only half a length separated the third and fourth boats.”

The Exmouth Rifle Band played during the day and in the afternoon the Exmouth Artillery Fife and Drum band arrived and played in the town. There were the usual side-shows on the beach including a coconut-shy and round-abouts. At the end of the racing, rural sports completed the event.

The regatta in 1861 proved to be the last one for a number of years but the account in the Western Times of the 17th August gives us some more insight into the running of the event that year. We have a full list of the local tradesmen on the Committee of Management namely, Messrs W. Staddon, W. Gibbs, G. Cowd, G. Mann, R. Pratt, G. Gibbs, T. Parker, and S.W. Williams, with G.C. Perriam as Treasurer and H. Cowd as Honorary Secretary. Various modes of transport had been arranged for visitors to the regatta not all of which were successful, particularly the small steamer that was due to bring passengers from Exmouth harbour but, as there was a strong breeze blowing dead ashore, the captain decided not to leave the calmer waters of the harbour for the rougher swell outside. The railway company had issued cheap excursion tickets to Exmouth which brought a large number of people, and the buses between the two towns were very crowded. The town was extensively decorated as usual and there were 3 ornamental arches in the main street, and a grandstand was erected on the beach for the band and the Committee with the starting boat out at sea decorated with the flags of all nations. There were confectionary stalls and vendors of all sorts of sweets and fruit. Mr Hine of the Feathers Hotel erected a large tent and “provided liquids” (presumably largely alcoholic).

Three artillery pieces were in place to act as starting guns for the races.

It was a much smaller event than in previous years. The first race was for 1st Class Yachts of 23 feet and under and all had come from Exmouth. There was no silver cup again and the 3 contestants had to make do with modest prize money. As feared, there were very few boats for this race and there was also a certain amount of confusion at the start with one boat starting in the wrong direction. A yacht called Ugly Mug was the winner and its owner Mr Cotton received £2, second was Pamela (Mr Carnall) £1-10s, and third was Frolic (10 shillings). It seemed rather generous to award money to Frolic because it’s captain Mr Spiller had strayed too close to the shore and became stranded on the shingle till the next tide took it off.

There followed two rowing races which had specifically been staged, according to the Western Times, so that local men would win most of the money. The first was for one man in a punt and it was won by Clipper rowed by Mr Middleton who received 5 shillings for his efforts, second was Mr Pratt in Fairy (4 shillings), and third was Mr Sims in Blue Eye Mary (3 shillings). This was followed by the usual race for 4-oared Mackerel Boats. It was a well contested race and two boats owned by Bence family members were first and second, and third was Mr Arbury’s boat. At the completion of the race there was an artillery salvo to mark the end of the regatta.

The newspaper records that various events were devised to amuse the on-lookers during the racing including a “wandering pedestrian” who was asked to walk 2 miles in twenty minutes, which he achieved in 18 minutes.

The rural sports included donkey racing, asking boys to eat cakes streaming with treacle suspended from a string which resulted in their faces, hair and clothes becoming a sticky mess, and “jumping in sacks” again (which I assume means sack racing). The Volunteer Rifle Band provided the music for dancing which completed the day.

The use of artillery pieces to start races was common in regattas at this time but they could occasionally cause problems. There were no incidents at Budleigh but a Budleigh fisherman George Potter, who lived with his wife and 5 children in Fore Street, fell victim to an accident at the Shaldon Regatta in 1864. It is not clear whether he went as a spectator or a contestant but the details of the unfortunate event were recorded by the Exeter Flying Post on Wednesday 14 September. Apparently, the signal gun was placed on land at the end of the jetty and at the moment Mr Potter landed his boat the first sailing race finished and the gun was fired to signal the win. George Potter had just clambered up onto the jetty and was hit by the shot. He was taken to hospital but the newspaper said that he wasn’t expected to survive, and in fact he was buried at East Budleigh, aged 35, on the 18th September.

The regatta was abandoned after 1861 for 7 years, apparently due to lack of sponsorship. In 1868 the Western Times of 25th August recorded that a committee was formed consisting of Mr Lipscomb, Mr E Taylor, Mr R Neave, Captain Prothero and Messrs G Gibbs, E Burch, J Church, H Pratt, C Cox, G Cowd, H Cowd (Hon Sec), T Parker and T Trickey (Hon Treasurer). Subscriptions totalling over £30 were raised to cover the modest prize money and other expenses, and the committee engaged the Exmouth Artillery Band who were placed on a grandstand on the beach by Marine Parade alongside one for the committee. Mr Harwood the proprietor of the Rolle Hotel erected a tent on the cliff behind his hotel that served drinks, and this was well patronised.

The Western Times gave a detailed account of the racing. The first race for boats of 14ft keel length was between four Budleigh Salterton Boats, Clipper (Mr Pratt), Fancy (Mr Gibbs), White Squall (Mr Neave) and Sea Dream (Revd. Davis). In a brisk breeze Fancy made a flying start and led until it had to retire after damaging its mast. Sea Dream was then the easy winner. The second race was for Salterton boats of 13 ft and was won by Mr Pratt in Fairy who took an early lead and easily beat boats sailed by Mr Holdsworthy & Mr Parker. Race three was “a spirited contest” between 6 Budleigh Lug Sail craft and the stiff breeze caused the boats to heel over and some spectators feared that some might capsize. Mr W. Sedgemore in Wave took an early lead but was overtaken by Mr Cooper in George. He led until he lost his mainmast and then the contest was between Wave and King Fisher (Mr Sedgemore). King Fisher won by half a length.

The fourth race involved craft of any type with a keel length exceeding 20 feet. 5 boats took part and it was won by Mr Durham in X.L from Exmouth. During the race Mr Turner’s boat Julia lost its mainmast and retired. There then followed a race for pleasure boats and yachts. This was a timed race with a handicap for each boat of half a minute per ton. 

There were then two rowing races, the first between boats not exceeding 15 feet overall rowed by 2 men. The winner was Mr Pratt’s boat followed by Mr Sedgmore’s and Mr Marker’s, with Mr Middleton’s boat last. The final race was for 4-oared Salterton fishing boats; unspecified disasters hampered boats owned by Messrs Barratt and Bence, and another member of the Bence family won in Eagle.

The usual punt chase ended the regatta and the spectators then amused themselves with the various side-shows that as usual graced the day.

The 1869 regatta on the 17th August was set up by the committee from the previous year “plus some of the landed gentry”. Early in August there had been alterations to the new esplanade and the council made sure that the repainted seats on the front were dry before the regatta. 

The brief account in the Exeter and Plymouth Gazette Daily Telegrams newspaper for 18th August 1869 indicated that there were 6 sailing races. The first race was contested by 7 boats and was won by Mr Pratt in Fancy. The second race was won by Sea Dream (Mr Brooke), two of the contestants gave up and Mr Middleton was disqualified for an unspecified infringement. There followed a race for Salterton Lug Boats; 5 started and Mr Osborne was first in Beautiful Star. The next race was an event for Lug Sail boats open to all-comers; there were 4 entrants and it was won by Mr Miller in Four Brothers. The fifth race was for Salterton fishing boats and Mr Burch won in Speculator. The final race was between Yachts and, as in the previous year, was a timed event; Mr J Hook in the 7-ton Johanna Taylor won. No mention was made of rowing races but there would undoubtedly have been some.

The event in 1870 again attracted a large crowd. There were 4 sailing races, the first for Budleigh Pleasure Boats, the second for Budleigh Fishing Boats, the third was between 5 Yachts and Pleasure Boats not exceeding 10 tons and were all from Exmouth and Torquay and this was a timed race with handicaps as usual, the final race was for 5 Lug Sail boats not exceeding 17ft not from Budleigh and they were all from Beer. The latter two sailing races in particularly were marred when the wind dropped and boats became becalmed. There followed the usual rowing races for 4-oared then 2-oared boats and the proceedings ended with a gig and punt chase.

I haven’t been able to find accounts for the 1871 and 1872 regattas, although as mentioned below the 1872 event must have taken place. 

The 1873 event is well described in Trevor Waddington’s account where he described how well the town was decorated for the day. The committee that year consisted of Messrs Lipscomb, Gibbs, W Williams, C Cox, Burch, Milyard, T Cox, E Williams, Park, and Fletcher, with J Burd as Treasurer and H Cowd as the Secretary. The weather was not good but the rain held off until the evening. There were 4 sailing races, The first for boats under 15 ft length was contested by 3 local boats twice round a 5-mile course. It was won by Mr J S Warren who had been second in the race the previous year. The second race involved boats of less than 16 and a half foot in length and was between 3 local boats and one from Dartmouth who all raced 3 times around the course. A Salterton boat Sarah Jane owned by Mr Ford won. Race three was for Lug and Sail boats for a prize of five sovereigns. Two local boats and one each from Exmouth and Teignmouth entered and the Teignmouth boat won. The fourth contest was for yachts three times round the course and involved two Exmouth and one Teignmouth boat. One of the Exmouth boats lost its topmast during the third-leg while pressing for second place. Captain Squire from Exmouth won in Merlin. The regatta ended with 4 rowing races and rural and other sports.

The September 1874 event was marred by bad weather. The same four sailing races took place. Mr Rogers won the 15ft event and the race for 16 and a half foot boats was won by an Exmouth boat. Mr Sedgemore easily won the contest between boats of 19 ft, and the Yacht race was again won by Merlin.

The town was again extensively decorated for the August 1875 regatta. The committee that year comprised Messrs. W Williams, G Leatt, H Williams, R Pratt, C Webber, W Park, and W Fletcher (Hon. Sec.). The event appears to have been disrupted because the 1st Devon Volunteer Artillery arrived for gun practice and fired upwards of 60 rounds. The band of the 1st Devon Militia was also on hand to play for the afternoon. It is not clear whether there were any sailing races but the usual rowing matches continued in the evening after the gunnery practice. As usual, subscriptions had been raised to fund the event and the prize money.

There are no newspaper accounts for regattas in 1876 and 1877, although some Salterton boats competed in regattas in Sidmouth, Beer and Seaton.

The 1878 event is miscatalogued as 1873 in the newspaper archives. There was a detailed description of the regatta recorded by the Exmouth Journal of 16th August. There was a problem before the day of the regatta as a major athletics event had also been proposed on the same day. As luck would have it, the athletics were cancelled and a good amount of money was raised from subscriptions to fund the regatta. The major race was to have been one for yachts or pleasure craft with a prize of £6 but there were no entries. This was probably due to there being other regattas along the coast at around the same time. The weather was fine for most of the day but the sea was rough which made it difficult for the small boats to launch from the shore so those races were cancelled. There were no entries for several races. Only the larger boats went out but they had a rough time. In the race for lug sail boats, (four from Budleigh and one each from Exmouth and Sidmouth), after a well contested race with much changing of positions, the Louis Henri from Exmouth won. There followed the usual amusements and the Moselle Band played throughout the afternoon.

The committee for the 1878 regatta was Captain Palmer RN, and Messrs W J Thomas, R Neave, H G Gardiner, S H Williams, C Cox, J S Warren, H Kerslake, G Bennett, W J Clifford (Treasurer) and H Cowd (Hon. Sec.).

The 1879 event was scheduled to be held on the 5th of August but due to inclement weather William Knott the Honorary Secretary of the regatta committee informed everyone that it would be postponed till Tuesday 12th August. The Weymouth & Torquay Steam Packet Company advertised that it would pick up paying passengers from Dawlish and Sidmouth to view the event. The steamer was due to arrive at 12.30pm and visitors could later book for trips around the bay for sixpence. There appears to be no newspaper account of the regatta in the Newspaper Archives.

Between 1880 and 1882 there were no regattas held. It was revived in 1883 and although it was raining in the morning it cleared for the afternoon contests. The main streets were decorated with flags by the coastguards led by the chief officer Mr Ellis. There were 10 events on the programme, 5 sailing and 5 rowing with about £50 in prize money at stake. One of the sailing races was cancelled due to lack of interest. The course for the sailing races was 6 miles in length and the larger boats were to go twice round the course. The wind was variable and the boats were occasionally becalmed; the races for lug boats not exceeding 26 feet and 15 feet were both effected and there was no chance of the boats completing twice round the course. In the first race for the largest boats, Mr H Rogers was in the lead at the end of the first round but his boat Highland Lass had to be rowed in. The second race similarly had to be abandoned. The third race for 15-foot boats of any rig also was curtailed by lack of wind. Race four for smaller boats of 13 feet length between 4 Budleigh boats had two drop out because of lack of wind, but was won by Mr Pratt in Lively who led the whole way but experienced difficulty rounding the mark-boat, and Mr Cowd was second in Lily. The spectators on the beach were kept entertained during the afternoon by the Hungarian Band. In the evening rural sports were held on the Parade.

The Exmouth Journal’s account of the August 1884 regatta lists The Hon. Mark Rolle, Colonel Walrond MP, and Messrs. Ravenscroft, Bryce, Roberts and Dr Brushfield as patrons, with a Committee of Messrs. Trickey senior, Neave, Gosling, Burch, Parker, Barnes, and Williams, with Mr H Cowd as secretary again. The Hanoverian Band provided the music and the weather was fine and the attendance good. As in previous years, the Torquay and Weymouth Steamboat Company brought large numbers of visitors for the day.

There appear to have been 4 main sailing races twice around a course amounting in all to about 12 miles. The first was for boats of any rig of less than 15 feet and the £2 price was won by Mr Beavis from Sidmouth, with Budleigh’s Mr Neave second and Mr Davey from Starcross third. The second race for Lug Sail boats not exceeding 17 feet overall open to all-comers was won by Major Clagett (this was probably Retired Major Thomas Clagett former JP in Leicester who lived at 14 Beacon in Exmouth). In the third race for Lug boats not exceeding 20 feet overall, boats from Exmouth took the first 2 places with Mr Gibbs from Budleigh third. The final open race with a prize of £6 was for boats of any rig not exceeding 28 feet and Exmouth boats took all 3 places. There followed a rowing race for local coastguard crews, and Sidmouth beat Budleigh Salterton with Exmouth third. Further small races ensued and the usual rural sports finished the day.

The Exeter Flying Post gives us details of the August 1885 regatta which again was well attended. The sailing matches were round a 4-mile course. The first race for all-comers with yachts or pleasure craft of any rig 29 feet overall finished with Exmouth boats first, second, and fourth with a Lympstone boat in third. The next two races were limited to boats from Budleigh, Beer, Sidmouth and Seaton. Mr Barlett in Hero from Beer won the first race for Lug Boats not exceeding 26 feet with another Beer boat second, and the third, fourth and fifth places went to Budleigh boats belonging to W Sedgemoor, W Rogers and H Rogers. In the second race for 19-foot Lug boats went to a Sidmouth boat followed by Budleigh boats sailed by J Rogers, Mr Ashford and Mr Hitt. The third race was solely for Budleigh boats not exceeding 15 feet and was won by F Cowd in Lilly followed by craft sailed by W Sedgemoor, Mr Kneed and W H Sedgemoor.

The rowing races took place in full view off the beach. The outcome of the coastguard race was the same as the previous year with Sidmouth victorious. A race for two oared boats pulled by two men went to Mr Hitt, with Mr Ashford second, and Mr S Macer third. After further races, including one for boys, the rural sports took place.

The 1886 regatta was curtailed by rough weather. It was intended to hold 5 sailing races but the two categories for the larger boats were cancelled as those boats, which were all from further round the coast, could not safely get to the event and consequently there were only three races for smaller craft. There was an open event for Lug Sail boats of less than 26 feet and a second race for Lug sail boats not exceeding 17 foot 6 inches from Salterton, Sidmouth. Beer and Seaton. The final race was an open event for boats of any rig of 15 foot or less. The course for the races was approximately 3 miles in length and the contestants in race 1 went 3 times round and the £2-10s first prize went to Mr Crosby from Exmouth with W Sedgemore of Budleigh second and Mr Skinner of Sidmouth third who received smaller amounts. The second race twice round the course produced a win for Budleigh achieved by Mr G Gibbs in Lily, which led from the start, with a Sidmouth boat second, and Mr W Ledgeman from Budleigh third. The third open race attracted boats from Exmouth, Starcross, Sidmouth and Budleigh. The winner was from Exmouth, with a Sidmouth boat second and in third place was again Mr W Ledgeman from Budleigh Salterton.

The Exmouth Brass Band provided the music and there was the usual collection of stalls and amusements, although the strong wind caused an accident when the support for one of the swings was blown out and two men were thrown out of a swing boat and one was stunned but luckily not seriously injured. The organising committee consisted of Messrs. G Lay, R Neave, R Pratt, E Burch, A Priston, W Parnes, T Williams, F Cowd, C Wilson (Treasurer) and again, Henry Cowd as the Honorary Secretary.

The 1887 regatta was cancelled due to a tragic accident. As usual, in July subscriptions were raised to finance the event but on the Bank Holiday Monday before the regatta Henry Cowd and Howard Williams borrowed a boat from Walter Sedgemoor and set off in a brisk breeze and a small swell for a spot of mackerel fishing. When they were sailing about a mile off-shore the boat was seen to capsize. A rescue boat rowed out which took about 10 minutes to get to them and the body of Mr Cowd was found entangled under the boat and Mr Williams was nowhere to be found. They attempted resuscitation for Mr Cowd on the way back and Dr Mercer the local surgeon continued when they reached land, but to no avail. Further details of this tragedy were given in the article on the findings of the subsequent inquest published on the 5th August 1887 in the Exeter and Plymouth Gazette.  Many locals pressed the regatta committee to cancel the regatta and this was done and thankfully acknowledged by the Cowd and Williams families.

There was very good weather for the 1888 regatta which consisted of 13 events. The patrons that year were John Kennaway MP, the Hon. Mark Rolle, Sir John Phear, the mayor of Exeter Mr C Roberts, and Mr J P Bryce. All the arrangements for the day were overseen by a committee under the chairmanship of Mr Neave that included Messrs. Irving, Gosling, Jones, Hobson, Pratt, Marker, Bright, G Ley, H Williams, and Preston, with Mr C Wilson as Treasurer and Mr T Parker taking the late Henry Cowd’s place as Honorary Secretary. As usual the town was decorated for the event and the organisers had employed the Exmouth Band to provide entertainment. A steamer brought in visitors from Sidmouth and Exmouth and others came in a variety of other transport from surrounding neighbourhoods.

The first race was open to boats of 30 foot of any rig and was won by Mr S Horn. The second race was purely for lug sail boats not exceeding 19 foot 6 inches from Budleigh and went to Mr Hobson with H Sedgemoor second and Mr Hitt third. The next race was a contest for a prize donated by Mark Rolle again solely for Budleigh boats of any type not exceeding 16 feet overall, and this resulted in a win by a minute and a half for Mr G Gibbs with two members of the Sedgemoor family in second and third places. There followed an open race for lug sail boats of 24 feet and it was won by a local fisherman, Walter Sedgemoor, with an Exmouth boat second and one from Sidmouth third. The water events finished with several rowing races for men or boys, and the day was completed by the rural sports events. 

The Exmouth Journal reported that the weather was again clement for the 1889 event but the number of contestants was unfortunately quite small. The three patrons were Mark Rolle, Sir John Kennaway, and Sir John Phear. The committee comprised Messrs. Gosling, Hobson, Smart, Kempson, Pratt, F Cowd, Blight, Wilson, Parker, Hurley, H Williams, Preston and T Parker as Hon. Secretary.

The first race was open to all boats not exceeding 30 feet and had  Exmouth boats in the first two position; the third contestant in the race lost her gaff in the second round and retired and the committee was undecided as to whether it should receive the thid place prize. The open second race was between 4 lug-sail boats of 19 foot 6 inches or less and all the prizes went to Budleigh sailors with John Rogers the winner. The final race was for Budleigh boats not exceeding 18 feet and had W R Sedgemoor first with W Sedgemoor second and Mr Ford third.

The regattas continued throughout most of the 1890s, The1890 event was favoured with fine weather and a large crowd. The committee chaired by Mr J Smart comprised Messrs. Waring, Hobson, William Kempson, F Cowd, Blight, Parker, Hurley, Williams, Preston, Russell and W Kempson as Hon. Secretary. They had arranged for rural and other sports to take place on the Parade during the afternoon and for the Sidmouth Band to provide the music. There were 8 sailing races in favourable conditions. The longest races were four times round a course marked by boats moored at the east and south-west limits of the bay. There was not a large entry for any of the sailing races. The first race over 6 miles was for Budleigh boats not exceeding 18 feet length and it attracted 3 boats and was won by Mr Hobson with Mr Parsons second and Mr Gibbs last. The second race of 4 miles was between just three boats of up to 75 tons from recognised Sailing Clubs; the winner was Mr T H Ward, second was Mr W H Graves and the third boat didn’t finish. I doubt that these were local boats. The third race was between three Budleigh boats of 14 to 16 feet and resulted in a win for Mr Waring over Messrs. H Sedgemoor and H Pratt. There were 3 smaller yachts in race 4 which seems to have been won by a Mr Passingham with one boat untimed. This was followed by a contest between 4 boats of assorted rig of 20-foot length or less; first prize went to Mr Bradford with W Sedgemoor runner up. There followed three rowing races and finally a punt chase.

The weather in 1891 was fine with a light west wind. The 6 sailing races had a similar number of entrants to the previous year and the usual rowing races and punt chase ended the sea-borne events. The local coastguards competed without success in one of the rowing races. The regatta finished with a tug-of-war contest between landsmen and fishermen. The only minor controversy occurred in a sailing race for small yachts when Mr Perriam lodged a complaint against Mr Davey’s boat which he said had fouled the Committee Boat at the start; Mr Davey had been placed third and Mr Perriam was unplaced which presumably precipitated the complaint! In the race for boats of up to 20 feet of any rig there were only 3 starters and one didn’t finish; Mr Lacy’s boat lost its topsail but still finished second behind Mr J Northcote’s boat.

As in the previous year, the patrons of the regatta were the Hon. Mark Rolle, Sir John Kennaway and Sir Philip Phear. Mr S Waring chaired the committee and the Hon. Secretary Mr W Kempson organised the event. That year the Exmouth Town and Rifle Band provided the music in the afternoon.

The 1892 event was delayed for a day due to strong winds. On the day the committee were worried that they might have to postpone the event again but the high wind abated somewhat in the afternoon, however this didn’t prevent the cancellation of a race for Coastguards because it hadn’t been safe to launch boats from Coastguard Stations further along the coast, and an open race for yachts also had to be cancelled because entrants from Sidmouth and Exmouth had to return home because of the heavy seas. Four sailing races did take place including race 3, an open race for yachts not exceeding two and a half tons in which an Exmouth boat beat one from Exeter. The usual Budleigh locals featured in the other races, Mr W Sedgemoor winning race one and Mr F Hobson winning the second race. The fourth race for Lug Sail boats not exceeding 21 feet was won by John Bradford an Exmouth fisherman. There followed three rowing races purely for Budleigh boats. One of them for boys under 16. The band of the Exmouth Company of the 1st Rifle Volunteers provided music on the beach during the regatta.

The 1893 regatta was badly affected by the weather. A strong wind in the morning had become a gale by four in the afternoon and only a single race took place out of the 12 scheduled. The 3 boats that started in that race, Mayflower (H Sedgemoor), Spider (F G Hodgson) and Maud (N Parsons), set off under full sail, and at times “were invisible behind the waves” (Exmouth Journal); Spider won, with Mayflower second, and Maud third.

The 1894 regatta had to be moved from the advertised day because of bad weather. The Exeter and Plymouth Gazette on the 25 August reported that, although the weather was not promising, the full programme took place. The committee that year chaired again by Mr Waring, and with Mr W Kempson fulfilling the dual roles of Secretary and Treasurer, consisted of Messrs. Beasley, Cowd, Gibbs, Hodson, Howell, Marks, Mortimore, Neave, Priston, and R Pratt and his son. The music was provided in the afternoon by the band of the Sidmouth Company of the 3rd Battalion of the Devon Volunteer Rifles.

The first race for lug sail boats not exceeding 21 feet was an open race and all three places went to Exmouth men. The second race solely for Budleigh craft not exceeding 19 feet was for a prize awarded by Mark Rolle and was won by Mr G Pearcey a local fisherman in Dorothy, with boats sailed by two other fishermen T and W Sedgemore in the final places. The third race was a contest between boats from Budleigh, Sidmouth and Beer; Captain Moore won, and local men G Gibbs and N Parsons took the next two places. The final sailing race was on open event for boats not exceeding 16 feet overall and resulted in Exmouth boats taking the first two places with W Sedgemoor third. The racing was completed by a rowing race for boats crewed by two men; again, local men (Hitt and Sedgemore) could only manage third place behind boats from Sidmouth and Exmouth.

For some reason there was no regatta in 1895.

The 1896 event returned “with renewed vigour” (Exmouth Journal). The town was bedecked with bunting and there was a large crowd attracted to the town for the day. Mr Waring and Mr Kempson were again the chief organisers and the committee had again employed the Sidmouth Volunteer Band, and the usual stalls and amusements were on the Esplanade. An innovation seems to have been the presence of “comic singers”. Unfortunately, there was not a very full programme of races. The first event was for yachts not exceeding 25 feet but appears to have attracted just a single boat Ince from Exmouth; this “sailed over” and was awarded the second prize (which seemed a bit mean as at least Mr Bamberger had turned up!). The next race was for lug sail boats not exceeding 21 feet and was won by an Exmouth boat followed by one from Sidmouth and another from Exmouth. This seemed to confirm a pattern in our regattas where the largest boats always came from elsewhere probably because there was no proper harbour here and many Budleigh boats were launched from the beach. The next race was delayed for an hour because the wind dropped. It was for “dingheys” (sic) belonging to recognised sailing clubs. When it finally got underway the first two places went to boats from the Exe Yacht Club with a dingy from the Sidmouth Sailing Club third. A paired-oared rowing race finished the racing and it was won by an Exmouth crew with Budleigh locals Sedgemoor and Pearcey second, and Sidmouth’s boat third.

The 1897 event went ahead as planned although, due to high winds and rain showers in the morning, there had been some thought of a postponement. Luckily the wind dropped in the afternoon and there were short periods of sunshine. The sea was too rough for the advertised steamer to land passengers on the beach but South Western Railways had laid on special trains; the railway line to Budleigh had fortuitously been officially opened in May 1897 just prior to the regatta in August.

The regatta committee that year was Messrs. Burch, Beasley, Bennett, Baker, Echlin, Gibbs, Galt, Marks, Pratt, C A Simmonds & C H Simmonds, and was chaired as previously by Mr Waring with Mr Kempson as Hon. Secretary & Treasurer. The band of the 4th Devon Regiment provided music for the afternoon.

Because of the poor weather, the regatta started late and only six events were held. Heavy rain set in at 6 o’clock so the scheduled paired oared races, swimming matches and the punt racing had to be cancelled. Race 1 was for fishing boats of any rig not exceeding 27 feet and two Exmouth boats took the prizes. A category for dipping lug sail boats of 25 foot or less again had Exmouth boats in the first two places with a Sidmouth boat third. The third event was the Mark Rolle Prize race open to only Budleigh fishermen; Mr W Sedgemore won in Mayflower with Thomas Sedgemore second, William Rogers third and James Ford as runner-up fourth. The next race was for lug sail boats of 16 feet 6 inches or less and it was a clean sweep for members of the Sedgemoor family who took all three prizes. The final two races were open events; the first, for boats of any rig not exceeding 16 feet 6 inches, was again won by two Exmouth boats and the final race for dingeys from recognised sailing clubs had only two entrants and Mr G H Vallance won for Sidmouth while the other contestant gave up presumably defeated by the rough conditions.

The final regatta appears to have taken place in August 1898 which was unfortunate as it seems to have been very successful with some extra events. The weather was very good, there was only a gentle breeze which made for slow racing. The East Budleigh Band kept people amused during the afternoon. There were 6 sailing and 5 rowing races followed by 2 swimming races, a punt chase and a water polo match. Unfortunately, the account in the 18th August edition of the Exeter and Plymouth Gazette did not list the home towns of winners in the open events but in the first race for fishing boats of any rig not exceeding 30 foot 6 inches none of the prizes appear to have gone to Budleigh sailors. Similarly in the next race, for boats of any rig not exceeding 18 foot 3 inches overall, the winner was a Dr Eaton (who I believe lived in Douglas Avenue in Exmouth), C Rought was second and H Rogers third. 

The next race for a prize of £5 donated by Mark Rolle was for Budleigh Fishing Boats of 19 feet or less. The first 3 places went to members of the Sedgemoor family. Race 2 was also solely for Budleigh entrants and was a lug sail contest for boats not exceeding 16 feet, and a different Sedgemoor (H Sedgemoor) won with G Pearcey second, G Pearcey junior third and W Sedgemoor fourth. The following race was for boys under 20 from Budleigh and the winning order was C Pearcey, W Sedgemoor and third a boy from the Rogers family. The final sailing race was an open event for dingeys from recognised sailing clubs. It was won by Mr E A Brash (possibly a surgeon in Exeter), with W C Vallance second and G H Vallance third (both from Sidmouth). There followed five rowing races. The first one was for coastguard crews and Exmouth beat two boats from Sidmouth; no mention was made of a Budleigh crewed boat. A second paired oar race seems to have been contested by Budleigh men and was won by J Sedgemoor and G Pearcey. A new innovation was a paired oar race for amateurs, visitors and residents and Goss and Findlason won. Another new event was a single sculls contest won by G Pearcey. The final paired oar rowing race was for boys under 16 years of age resident in Budleigh Salterton. The winners were W Maer and T Sedgemoor.

The racing was completed by two swimming races, one for men won by F Teed, and one for boys under 16 won by T Bennett.
The committee for what proved to be the last regatta was chaired by Mr S Shirley (probably Sewallis Shirley who lived in Westbourne on West Hill), with Mr C A Simmonds as Hon. Secretary and Mr J Galt as Treasurer. Mr Waring was still on the committee providing his expertise and other members were Messrs. Baker, Frazer, Galt, Marks, Parsons, Pratt, Sanders, Simmonds and Trickett. 

The arrival of the railway unfortunately didn’t save the regatta. It would appear that there were too many rival attractions and it may not have been helped by the fact that chairman of the last committee Mr Shirley died in November 1898 a few months after the final regatta.

Roger Lendon 2021