Cardboard Boat Race Returns with a Big Splash to Ocean Village Marina, Raising £4,697.49 for Charity
The R.A.O.B (The Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes) and Ocean Village Charity Cardboard Boat Race returned with a splash to Ocean Village Marina as a thousand-strong crowd gathered to watch the exciting nautical event, the first since the pandemic in 2020.
Contestants were challenged to build a boat using cardboard and some other approved materials, adding their own touches and themes to the designs, and compete in a race around a buoy (or two, as in the case of the Adults Race) and back, without sinking.
Float or swim... The results were epic.
The total raised was a whopping £4,697.49 which will be split between three important charities: GBC Open Day, St. John’s Ambulance and Gibraltar Alzheimer’s and Dementia Society.
The event was overseen by Judges Miss Gibraltar 2021 Janice Sampere, Mrs Gibraltar Joely Borda, Jane Wink of Caring for Gibraltar, Matthew Turnock of St. John’s, and Dick Barton of G.A.D.S. After the races came to an end, boat rides to Eastern Beach and back were offered for a donation to charity by Neptune Marine who kindly offered their time to assist.
Paddling into this year’s coveted first-place award in the Adults Race were the Specialist Medical Clinic with their boat “A-Blaze”, with the tank-shaped “First Blood” by JP Haulage winning both second place as well as the Best Fancy Dress for their Rambo and Col Trautman costumes.
Gliding into third place were Pro-Valeting Gibraltar.
In the Junior Category, First Place went to Jami by Jake & Miley, 2nd Place to Straits Services and 3rd Place to Sharkey by the El Waha Crew. Best Fancy Dress also went to Jake & Miley who were dressed as Minions, and Best Boat Design went to Sharkey for the large shark boat with open mouth complete with shark teeth!
The famous Titanic Sinking prize, which is awarded for the most dramatic sinking, went to Hurricane – No2 Overseas Squadron Air Cadets for their valiant effort to bring their what was left of their boat through the race, even though their cardboard boat had capsized at the start!
The winners (and even the best sinkers) were all presented with trophies and prizes from various bars and restaurants and local businesses: La Sala, The Ivy, The Clipper, Little Bay, Biancas, The Bottle Shop, Burger King, O’Reilly’s, Music Corner, Pizza Express, Kings Bastion Leisure Centre, Thi Vietnamese and The Eatalian.
The R.A.O.B would also like to give a huge thank you also to the sponsors and raffle prize sponsors: BSG, Playtech, 888 Holdings, BMI Group, Global Agency & Wastage, Gibdock, Saccone & Speed and D&J Removals. Netgear, Kubchands, Gibmaroc, U-Mee, MH Blands, Pet Zone, Angry Friar, Vijay, Roy's Fish & Chips, Pizza Hut, Tina’s Take-away, Brian Shoesmith & Kaycee.
Emilia Hazell-Smith, Events and Marketing for Ocean Village said:
“We are truly amazed at the amount of effort that goes into these cardboard creations, every year we get more inventive entries than the last! We are delighted to bring this extremely popular and well-attended event back to Ocean Village Marina after the pandemic and we would like to thank all the participants, crewmates, sponsors, and volunteers that make an event like this possible! Many spectators and local companies are already planning their entry for next year!”
