"Lynmouth Raft Race 2006 Par ..." a Lynmouth Travel Page by johngayton

The annual Lynmouth Raft Race is one of the villages' main summer events and is a major fundraiser for local charities run by the local Lyn Lions. The event is well supported by local businesses many of whom are also active participants in the race itself.

The race manages to be both competitive and fun with prizes awarded not just for the winners but also for best dressed, the constructors prize, junior prize plus whatever other prizes the judges might decide on the day.

In addition to the race, the days festivities include stalls and sideshows, live music, a display by the Lyn Line Dancers, the procession of the rafts through the village and ends with more live music, the awards ceremony and finally the raffle prize draw. This is all interspersed with visits to the local pubs by both spectators and contestants!

The actual timing and date of the race depends on local tides and this years race started at 5.45 pm on Sunday 23rd July. From early morning the organisers start putting the stalls together and by lunchtime the village is beginning to fill with both day trippers and locals out for the day and as the afternoon progresses there is a tangible air of expectancy.

About an hour before the race the rafts start to arrive at the car park at the top end of the village in preparation for the procession and it is here that we see the first signs of rivalry between the crews, along with last-minute repairs and adjustments.

This year there were a total of 14 boats entered by the time the programme went to press with a couple of late entries expected and with themes ranging from "The Noel Cowards" with thier bright red gunboat to "The Police" with thier black and white catamarran. All the boats are hand-made to varying degrees of skillfulness and ingenuity and seaworthiness is not a necessary criterion!

The race circuit starts from below the footbridge in the village out round the harbour markers in the bay and back and whilst the bay is quite well sheltered it is still open water and so the local volounteer lifeboat crews are on stand-by as well as several other boats to assist in case of problems.

As the contestants start to assemble in the car park for the procession the spectators begin to settle into thier favoured spots for viewing, the Lyn Line Dancers entertain the still milling crowds around the Bath Hotel and the flour bomb sellers start to do a brisk trade. This is another part of the day's tradition - the spectators pelt the crews (and each other) with flour bombs but be aware the crews are allowed to pelt back!

About half-an-hour before the race the rafts parade throught he villages main street led by the Energie Samba Drumming Band through the throngs of eager spectators and this is when the flower bombers start.

The procession runs from the car park, across the river and down through the village to the harbour slipway in front of The Rising Sun. Some are lucky and have managed to beg, steal or borrow trailers for the journey, others using up thier energy early by doing it the hard way.

The rafts are launched from the slipway and this is for most thier first test of seaworthiness and stability. For some this is easily passed, for others.........

.........plan B!

Believer it or not these guys managed to right thier craft and continue only to have it capsize again out in the bay.

Launch complete, the craft paddle round the harbour and up river until assembling behind the pedestrian bridge to await starters orders under a constant flour bombardment. I'm not entirely sure if the bridge was designed for this number of people but there is a strict injunction against leaning on the handrail.

Continued on part #2 next>.