Shaking hands, playing games, getting dunked: All in a Regatta Day for politicians

Politicians are every bit a fixture at the Royal St. John's Regatta as the ring toss.

And who can blame them?With tens of thousands of potential voters, it's a one-stop shop for politicians wanting to shake hands, take photos and kiss babies.

While Regatta Day is a holiday for most people in St. John's, federal and provincial politicians are hard at work if that's the right word meeting the public and promoting their parties.

One even took an unexpected bath.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau with an election looming this October started the day with a rousing speech forfirefighters at an international conference, thanking them for their service, and then met with Premier Dwight Ballbefore heading to Quidi Vidi Lake, where the glad-handing could begin.

The prime minister started a race, presented the medals and posed for plenty of selfieswith supporters, but was also challenged with questions and jeers from the crowd, which he largely ducked.

The prime minister also wasn't answering questions from reporters but Trudeau did say he and Ball wereworking ona plan for power rate mitigation when the Muskrat Falls hydroelectric megaprojectcomes online.

'Everyone had a great time'

Fellow Liberal Nick Whalenwent the standard route of setting up a tent.

Whalen seeking re-election this fall in St. John's East promoted his shop as a water-bottle refilling station and handed out reusable bags printed with "Pick Nick."

He said he and his organizers had been giving away plastic water bottles in past years, but people complained about the single-use plastics.

"I learned from constituents that way, and I'll learn from them today."

Whalen took a stroll with Trudeau earlier in the day from the boathouse to the starting gate, and described the crowd trying to meet the prime minister as huge.

"It was the longest it's ever taken me to walk 200 metres in my life," he said.

"Everyone had a great time."

The provincial New Democratic Party also set up lakeside, with leader Alison Coffin and MHA Jim Dinn meeting the public and signing up new members.

Taking shots from all comers

Progressive Conservative Leader Ches Crosbie really put himself out there orup there.

Crosbie, who is rarely shy about taking shots at the Liberal government in the House of Assembly, let the public take actual shots at him, through a dunk tank raising money for Young Adult Cancer Canada.

He danced over to the official waiting to show him up to the plank and waved to the whistling crowd as he took his seat.

The first person to dunk himwas a little boy, held up to the target by an adult.

But Crosbie got back up for more, laughing and heckling the crowd as people lined up to take a shot.

Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador