Giant branded rubber ducks, high-stakes tug-of-war, and islanders launching themselves into the sea in elaborate costumes were but a few of the scenes at Saturday’s Harbour Carnival.
The event, hosted for the first time on a Saturday evening instead of a Friday, drew crowds to the Crown Pier and the seafront to eat, drink, and witness a host of fun but competitive events.
‘It was a massive success,’ said Harbour Carnival committee chairman Will Wakeham.
‘Changing the day for us this year was definitely worth the risk. On the whole it’s looking like one of the carnival’s best years ever.’
Kicking off the evening’s series of contests was the corporate rubber duck race, which, though the wind nearly saw the ducks escaping the harbour past the lighthouse, was ultimately conquered by an exultant HSBC, with Mourant providing the best dressed duck.
Once all rubber ducks were rescued from their seaward trajectory, the race was followed by the ladies’ dinghy races, which was won by the team from Imperium, while ‘Don’t Spill the Beans’ took home that event’s best dressed award. Some 10 teams entered the dinghy race this year – more than have typically seen at the event.
‘There was a great turnout, and we had loads of people taking part in our events. I believe quite a few of the food vendors sold out as well,’ said Mr Wakeham.
As the evening wore on, the tug-of-war took centre stage, with Team Britannia triumphing, managing to pull all of their opponents into the marina.
Attention then turned to the man-powered flight contest, which saw islanders construct their ow non-motorised, non-propelled flying machines to take them as far across the harbour as possible.
‘Oh, I’m going to make it all the way to Herm, me!’ said competitor David Corbet, who was kitted out in a substantial Buzz Lightyear get-up, which he put together with the help of his two children, Daisy and Max, in a mere two hours.
‘We saw that there was only one person had signed up for the event, so we wanted to join in. We love the Harbour Carnival and we wanted to support it so it will continue to go on in the future.’
Despite his pre-competition confidence, however, it was not Mr Corbet who won the evening’s final competition, and, in fact, his trajectory off the launch platform was ultimately more similar to that of a rock than a Daedalus.
Rather, it was competitor Jacob Nel who exited the competition a champion, which he attributed largely to the help of his friends who both helped construct the costume and dominate the crowd with their yells when the judge called for an oral vote on the winner.
‘I didn’t do much, it was really the guys who made it all,’ Mr Nel said.
The group, attending the carnival on a stag do, had been planning their get-up for two weeks, and insisted that Mr Nel’s demure response in the wake of his victory was part-pretence.
‘He feels magnificent,’ said Joe Trenchard, who had helped construct the costume.
‘He’s so proud.’
All the money raised by the carnival is now set to be donated towards building a permanent pump track for the Guernsey Velo Club at Delancey Park.
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