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Stanley Raft Race - The Starter's Perspective Lying in bed at 6am on New Year's Day, listening to the rain hitting the window, I wondered if anyone would show up for the Raft Race. As one of the organisers, along with Ken Newton, we thought we had it all sorted out but you never know until the actual event. After a couple of calls from people at Mount Pleasant asking if the event was still on, I called BFBS and asked them to broadcast that the race would take place, that participants would get wet, but that was expected anyway wasn't it? I met up with local boat owner Neil Rowlands at 10.30am and we talked through the safety boat requirements. Neil had brought the Warrah to B slip opposite Stanley Cemetery to act as one end of the start line and would use his other craft as one of the safety boats. The FIDF would also provide another safety boat in the form of a rigid raider. Ken arrived after he had finished morning service at the Tabernacle. Competitors were starting to arrive. We defiantly had a race. A quick change into foul weather kit and Ken and I walked around looking at rafts and making sure that everyone was wearing a lifejacket of some sorts. The rafts were of all shapes and designs, from a couple of oil drums tied to a plank to one with a sophisticated paddle wheel drive, but the prize for originality, or foolhardiness, goes to the three piece suite on a frame with enough oil drums to make it float. They even had a mast! One pair of souls were brave enough to make their raft at the slip just before the race, and then to get into fancy dress, a nun and a maid from the south seas in a grass skirt. What is it about male soldiers and women's clothing? 12.45pm came and it was time to get all the rafts into the water. JSEOD from Hillside Camp had organised a 'bang' to start the event and we didn't want to be late. Ken and I moved out to the Warrah to start the race. We had a count-down to 1pm from EOD via two-metre radio. I held my cap in the air, "Five, four, three, two, one…" My cap came down, the bang sounded and we all shouted the race was on. The Powerhouse team took the lead early on, followed by the Leisure Centre. The Nun and Grass Skirt couldn't get on to their raft, so decided to swim towing it! Given the low temperature - 8C - I was worried they would get hypothermia so sent John Clifford, who had brought the Sea Cadet Avon along, to shepherd them. They actually gave up swimming after a short while, took their raft ashore and ran, carrying it, to the Narrows Bar. A great effort, but disqualified for not competing the course. After ten minutes the field was pretty strung out, with the powerhouse maintaining their lead, but by now some rafts were being towed, or pushed by jetskis and so were disqualified. One raft had lost its way completely. The three-piece suite had hoisted their sail but because the wind was from the south-east they were off to Fairy Cove! They were reportedly not worried though; they had beer, were comfortable and confident that someone would rescue them sometime. So that's how the race finished, with the Powerhouse winning followed by the Leisure Centre, Councillor Davies on the Albatross, and Defence Estates. Then it was all ashore and into the Narrows Bar for warming fluid and food. Harriet Hall, First Secretary, presented the shield to the winners and the crates of beer for the first three places were donated by the Narrows Bar. Ken's thanks and mine go to JSEOD for the starting 'Bang', the Government for permission to use the Camber to the 'Bang', Neil Rowlands and the FIDF for the use of their boats and to all the other boat and jet ski owners who helped make sure the racers were safe. We are grateful also to the Narrows Bar for the barbecue but mostly our thanks goes to the competitors. Without them and their madness, we would have had a dull day. First published in the Penguin
News on 6 January 2006 and reproduced by kind permission of the Editor |
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