The Royal St. John’s Regatta has evolved in many ways over the last two centuries, and one of the biggest changes has been the explosion in popularity of women’s rowing.

The first-ever female championship race took place at the 1979 Regatta; now, 40 years later the majority of teams registered for the Regatta are female.

This year, 81 of the 112 teams registered are women.

Speaking on the VOCM Monday Night Sports Show with Ben Murphy, Chris Neary, the President of the Royal St. John’s Regatta Committee, said he first noticed the shift towards more women at the races in the 1990’s.

He says at that time, they started giving the contributions of women to the sport the recognition it deserves.