After a bumper Family Weekend to set the tone, the stage is now set for days of packed entertainment, grand competition, and the kind of small-town magic that makes Dartmouth’s Regatta a fixture in diaries year after year. Official Opening Ceremony The official curtain-raiser opened when Chair Ed Botterill stepped up to welcome the crowds gathered along the Embankment. His words will be met with the stirring sound of the Band of the South West Sea Cadets, their brass and drums ringing out across the Dart, a reminder that this is as much about heritage and community pride as it is about racing.