Annual Stjordvik Regatta & Ball

Organized by the Buel Vitta Society every spring, this sailing ship race has been a great success ever since its inception. When looking for a complement to their grandiose Autumn Leaves Festival one of the members remembered the homeland regattas of his youth and his suggestion was met with much acclaim. While the race is very popular among the populace, with many dressing in the colors of their favorite team, the evening ball is a veritable who’s who of Stjordvik society and is the place to network for merchants, diplomats, and anyone in between.

The Regatta

From the first year on, the race has been open to everyone. Of course, it’s not cheap to participate, so usually only those with money take part; merchant houses and other organizations. Strebor's Corsairs have tried to enter but since it’s the Baron that hands out the Cove Cup to the winner, this was swiftly nipped in the bud.

Most organizations don’t have their own ships but hire one specifically for the race. For the duration of the event, ships are renamed to whatever the competitor (and organizer) deems appropriate. The rules stipulate that at least 25% of the crew need to be employees of the competitor so as to make the race more interesting.

Through an elaborate system of both magic and semaphores, the ship positions in the race are signaled to shore and displayed on large boards for all the people to see. Color commentary is added by salty sea-dogs and copious amounts of alcohol do the rest. Maybe due to the unpredictable results each year, betting on the outcome is quite fierce.

The Ball

For the evening event one of the large warehouses in town is transformed into an enchanting faux mansion. The food is catered by Norbana’s, supported by many other local eateries, these are the most vied for contracts of the year.

The very best musicians play at the event, the location is big enough to have several play at once and all acts are replaced hourly to give a chance to as many as possible.

Invitations for the ball are sent out by, and at the sole discretion of, the organizers and they are hotly lobbied for, as without one, one cannot be seen as a true member of Stjordvik high society.

Guests start arriving late afternoon, dressed in their best formal evening wear but the ball isn’t officially opened until the evening when the Baron hands out the Cove Cup.

15th Edition

This year the following organizations will compete with the ships listed:

Abraxis Combine	Aegis
Against the Grain	Float Club
Buel Vitta Society	Boozer Cruiser 4
Caeles Emporium	Everything for Sail
Companions of Elric	Companionship
House Ditta	Princ Meloi
House of the Awakened	Seize It
The Pearl	Pen15

The details can be found here: 15th Annual Stjordvik Regatta.