All things are a go at Quidi Vidi Lake this morning with warm temperatures in the offing with a sprinkling of showers. Regatta vice-president Shannon Brown made the announcement around 5:45 this morning.

The first oars will be in the water at the Royal St. John’s Regatta at 8:00 this morning with the Suncor Amateur Women’s Race.

The five crews in the first race are within 19 seconds of each other, meaning it will likely go down to the wire. Volkswagen St. John’s had the best time in the trials, 5:10, but Smith-Stockley and All-Star Rebar were only two seconds off the pace.

The first men’s race of the day goes at 9:00 but if the time trials are any indication, it will be a two-crew affair. Fine Strokes Plaster and painting rowed the trials in 9:15 but Capital Home Hardware did it in 9:17. The other three crews were over a full minute behind.

There are a total of 18 races on the docket, plus the two championship rows at 6:30 and 7:00 with the women going first.

What’s Opened, What’s Closed

With the Royal St. John’s Regatta officially a go, government offices across the capital city are closed for the day.

Mount Pearl and St. John’s City Halls and St. John’s-based provincial government offices are shut down to mark the historic sporting event.

City recreation facilities are also closed.

However, the Robin Hood Bay Waste Management Facility remains open, and garbage collection will go ahead as scheduled.

Some shops may also choose to close today for the weather-dependent holiday.