A Natural Wonder
The Zambezi River
The Victoria Falls
Formation of the Victoria Falls
People of the Victoria Falls
Enter the Ndebele
Discovery of the Victoria Falls
In Livingstone's Footsteps
Development of the Railway
To the Banks of the Zambezi
Development of the Falls
To The Congo
Development of Tourism
Development of Victoria Falls Town
Recent History
Further Information
Collectables

    
Discover the Victoria Falls with the Zambezi Book Company

To The Victoria Falls

Development of the Victoria Falls



The following text is adapted from 'Footsteps Through Time - A History of Travel and Tourism to the Victoria Falls', researched and written by Peter Roberts and published in 2017. Please visit the Zambezi Book Company website for more information.



1910 Zambezi International Regatta

In January 1910 it was announced that the World Professional Sculling Championship would be held on the Zambezi. In the build up to the event the New York Times reported:

A world's championship is to be fought out next Thursday in a spot which, within living memory, was an unexplored part of the Dark Continent.

This will be the sculling championship of the world, and the scene of the contest will be the Zambesi River, close to the famous Victoria Falls discovered by Dr Livingstone, who, when he first saw them, committed, on his own confession, the only piece of vanity of which he was ever guilty. He cut his initials on a tree, and they remain to this day for the visitor to see.

Since the railway to the Zambesi was completed in 1904 many thousands of visitors have been at the Falls, and next week's contest was arranged to take place there partly with the object of attracting world tourists' attention to their beauty and accessibility.

The English sculling champion Ernest Barry, and challenger for the international title, had invited the holder, New Zealander Richard Anst, to travel to England for the race, but he was unable to raise the funds for the trip. (Traditionally the challenger would travel to the title holder's home country at his own expense, but apparently Barry was unwilling to make the long journey.) However the British South Africa Company offered to stage the match on the Zambezi, offering a £1,000 prize to the winner, and, presumably covering each athletes travel expenses. They believed the race would promote the Company and the region. Stakes and expenses were guaranteed by the Company and the match was arranged to be run over a 7km course on the Zambezi River on 18 August 1910.

The build up to the regatta was followed in the international news media. Barry started training at Putney on the Thames in March, under the training of Tom Sullivan. The Colonist, Volume LII, March 18 1910, recorded:

Barry travelled with three racing shells - two of these are being built by Sims Bros... and one by Bowers and Phelps. These racing boats are delicately made, and require such careful handling that when sent to a foreign country they are invariably packed in stout and sometimes tin-lined padded cases. These boats will be about 27ft long, 10 3/4 in broad, and about 6 in deep. The outside 'skin' of Mexican cedar wood is so thin that undue pressure by the fingers will make a hole.

On arrival about two months before the race Arnst pitched his camp near the boathouse on the Zambezi, whilst Barry stayed in an hotel in town. Attending a dance one night Barry unfortunately fell and sprained an ankle and was laid up for about two weeks.

The heat and the altitude affected both scullers but Arnst was the better of the two and he crossed the line in front of Barry to retain his title.


The Zambezi International Regatta, 1910.

The Zambezi Challenge Cup was again won by East London, by two lengths, with Cape Town second and Southern Rhodesia third. The Rhodesia Cup was won by the Zambezi Boat Club beating Southern Rhodesia by two lengths. Other events included the Rabinow Challenge Cup (Pair Oars), won by East London, and the Victoria Falls Sculls, won by E G Williams. Rhodesia Railways carried boats and crews free from Beira to Livingstone and return. Lozi aristocracy again attended, arriving in a royal barge accompanied by 60-80 large canoes and 600 African paddlers.

There were two alternaive courses planned for the Regatta - the 'middle' between Kalai and Long Islands, and the 'northern' along the north bank, past the boat house. The latter was used, with the start opposite the Mission Station and the finish opposite the Conservator's Cottage.

R H Christie, Secretary of the Hunyani Rowing Club in Southern Rhodesia, wrote in the early fifties:

"The race was organised by Guy Nickall (who rowed in the winning British Olympic crew of 1908, at the age of forty), and was over a course of approximately five miles.

"Barry's opponent was Arnst, the Australian, and after the first three miles both scullers were so overcome by the unaccustomed heat and altitude that they stopped dead, unable to row another stroke. To Barry's dispair, Arnst, who had a chest expansion of ten and a half inches, recovered his breath first, and paddled home the winner.

"Barry still regards that race as the hardest of his long career, during which he frequently won the world championship."

The two men would race again for the title, in 1912 on the Thames, in a race which Barry won.

Next page: Visit of the Duke and Duchess of Connaught

Recommended Reading

Shepherd, G. (2008) Old Livingstone and Victoria Falls, Stenlake Publishing

Varian, H F (1953) Some African Milestones Wheatley : George Ronald. (Reprinted 1973 Books of Rhodesia).

Further Reading

Roberts, P. (2021) Footsteps Through Time - A History of Travel and Tourism to the Victoria Falls. Zambezi Book Company.

Footsteps Through Time - A History of Travel and Tourism to the Victoria Falls


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Discover the Victoria Falls with the Zambezi Book Company

'To The Victoria Falls' aims to bring you the wonder of the Victoria Falls through a look at its natural and human history.

This website has been developed using information researched from a wide variety of sources, including books, magazines and websites etc too numerous to mention or credit individually, although many key references are identified on our References page. Many of the images contained in this website have been sourced from old photographic postcards and publications and no infringement of copyright is intended. We warmly welcome any donations of photographs or information to this website.

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