Staines Amateur Regatta nearly three feet high was won by London Rowing Club. The regatta takes place in the 4th weekend in July and attracts top crews from around the UK. The regatta currently takes place on the 500-metre downstream course from St Peter's Church until 'Silvery Sands'. The regatta is launch umpired. Whilst the regatta and boat club are two different organisations, Staines Boat Club members now act as volunteers in running the regatta. The regatta itself has run in several different guises, including a longer 1500m, and 1000m course - currently it is a "sprint" regatta at 500m. Staines Amateur Regatta
Henley Royal Regatta were refused entry in 1879 as were Hillsdale Boat Club of Michigan in 1882. The Germania Ruder Club of Frankfurt became the first entry from continental Europe in 1880, losing in a heat of the Grand to London Rowing Club. Foreign entries grew over the next twenty years, to the consternation of some who felt that the regatta should be restricted to domestic entries only. There were also a number of disputes over amateurism and the two issues were often bound up together, as in this letter to The Times from Edmond Warre, headmaster of Eton College in 1901: W.H.