The fun and games started bright and early at the island’s biggest beach party of the year on Saturday. A bay packed full of swimmers for the traditional launch event had signalled the beginning of a particularly busy day ahead, said Rocquaine Regatta president Pierre Lenfestey.
‘It started off fantastically well,’ he said while stood on the slipway, ready to hand out medals to the incoming homemade rafts.
‘The bay swim was almost oversubscribed. Everybody enjoyed themselves.
‘The conditions were perfect, and it’s clear that this is going to be an absolute record breaker.’
Bathed in sunshine, things soon heated up through more than 20 of the event’s quintessential, nautical antics, including crab pot-pulling, raft racing, wife-carrying, husband-dragging, and the legendary greasy pole. Paddle-board jousting, which had made a splash on debut last year, again proved popular.
Tombola, Guernsey ice cream and the smell of popcorn and candy floss brought seaside nostalgia, while local food trucks, selling burgers, Thai cuisine and fish and chips flourished.
‘We love community events like this, because everybody’s super happy. And that’s why we put this on.
‘There’s no money involved really, we just love to see all the smiling faces.’
For the first time, the Vale Earth Fair ran a daytime Mini Family Festival, offering live music, food and drinks in the field opposite Fort Grey, before leading into their annual evening BBQ.
‘We’ve been a part of the regatta for about 20 years,’ said VEF Collective member Rob Roussel.
‘But the idea is to expand and this is a nice development, including activities for kids throughout the day.’
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