Daft Craft Raft Race

This morning we went to the Daft Craft Raft Race (try saying that to three children early on a Sunday morning without being sniggered at for your idiotically tired and tied tongue).

I only remembered it was on 15 minutes beforehand, otherwise we would all have been more suitably attired in pirate stripes and sailor hats. As it was we managed to scavenge an eye-patch...

... but we were totally and wonderfully upstaged by an exquisitely dressed mermaid, sailor, pirate...

... and naturally the Sea God Poseidon...

This is the first year of the race (inaugural, I believe is the word), in which local artists design and make deliberately absurd vessels that then cascade in all their creative, colourful and slightly crackers glory down the River Porter in Endcliffe Park, raising money for Cavendish Cancer Care through sponsorship and bets placed on the ridiculous raft of rafts (oh please, how is it such a silly play on words can give me such pleasure?).

McCrirrick was on hand to persuade spectators to "Get Lucky with the Plucky" and part with their cash.

Being astonishingly indecisive, we couldn't choose which one to bet on. So we bet on three.

The ones we plumped for were the SS Bubonic, sailed by Ratty; Cox C'Ora by my absolute favourite jeweller in the world Jennie Gill; and Walkley Tea Party by Miriam Stayte. You rarely see such beauties riding the ocean waves.

The SS. Bubonic by John Fox

Cox C'ora by Jennie and Ed Gill

Walkley Tea Party by Miriam Stayte

But we were also tempted to place our bets on these rafts...

Cow-A-Bung-A

Chilly Willy by Paul Evans

Oops! Hook-A-Duck by Lydia Bennett and Lea Scott

Top Totty by Studio Ten

Beach Bath Aftermath by Brown/Ben

Kissy Kissy Kraft by Anthony Bennett

As you can see, it was a closely contested race...

But against all the odds, battling against piratical rats, professional sailors, surfboarding cows and webbed-footed ducks amongst others, it was a little tea tray from Walkley that won the day.

The RAFTA trophy line-up.

And so, funnily enough did we. With ticket number 19.

Here are Pia and nearly-teen with our RAFTA (the BAFTA equivalent for comical river-riding craft rafts).

It now has pride of place on our mantelpiece.