It's a go! The 198th Royal St. John's Regatta organizers make the call

If you played regatta roulette, consider yourself a winner.

The Royal St. John's Regatta gotthe green light to go ahead in St. John's at 5:40 a.m. Wednesday morning.

"It was an easy call," said Paul Rodgers, president of the Royal St. John's Regatta Committee, citing a slightly cloudy, but not very windy forecast.

"It's going to clear, and we're hoping by 11 it'll clear right off and it'll be a beautiful Regatta Day."

Races kick off at 8:00a.m. and run throughout theday, with the women's championship race scheduled for 6:30 p.m., and the men's at 7 p.m.

For the first time in its history, organizers have set up a large TV screen so rowing fans can see all the action, no matter where the rowers are.

"We're going to havea drone follow the races down the pond, and then they will be broadcast live right onto the screen at the top of the pond. Areal big improvement for viewers around the lake," said Rodgers.

The race OK also means it's officially a holiday in St. John's.

The regatta is the oldest continuous sporting event in North America.