This event took place on Saturday, June 24^th at 3 pm. This year the event was sponsored by Algarve Insurance Brokers. There were junior and adult races with "Golden" trophies for the winners and runner up in each event. A special trophy was presented by the boat considered to have the best overall design.  The trophies were presented by David Hewitt, Managing Director of Algarve Insurance Brokers.

The organisers are most grateful to the their sponsors, Algarve Insurance Brokers, who leapt to the rescue two years ago when increasing red tape meant imaginative events like the paper boat race were having enormous difficulty in finding realistically priced insurance. The event is also grateful to English Nature for allowing the boats to sail ('or sink') on The Moat.

The race was started in 1979 and is the brainchild of local resident Norman Emblow. After running for eleven years, the event lapsed until it was resurrected in 1997. This year the event is being run in aid of St James's School, which has a major rebuilding programme.

Ben Tilley kindly lent his PA system which helped Peter Waddell entertain the crowd by interviewing all the participants and finding out the names of their boats. Anne Preston registered all boats and gave certificates to all that took part in the races. Richard Bourne was on hand and provided the safety boat. Peter Hartley and Gillia de Pass had the important job of counting the laps the boats managed. Terence de Pass judged the Best designed Boat and awarded this title to Unidentified Floating Object for its bright paintwork, and the coordinated accessories including a satellite dish antennae  headgear worn by the crew.

The other winning boats:

Seniors - 3 Lions on our Boat - 4½ laps first place, (crewed by ladies) and
second place Sunkissed 2¼ laps helmed by Mr Smith (a teacher from St. James's School)
Sunkissed was made by the school to help raise funds and the public were invited to sponsor it. The boat was bright blue and decorated with a sun and lips. Ann Tann, Head of St. James's School was there to encourage and support her teams

Juniors - first race
UFO 4 laps (2nd place) Unidentified Floating Object
3 Lions - 2½ laps A white boat decorated with red crosses and shield. Holes had been cut in the sides for the paddies.
Flaming Butterfly - managed a full lap (of paddling, swimming and pushing her boat)

Juniors -second race
3 Lions on our boat - 5½ laps (overall winner)
Sunkissed - 3¼ laps 

No name Boat, in blues and greens and decorated with question marks, and Speed of Lights, white boat with red speed chevrons - both boats sank early on in the race but all participants entered into the fun and getting wet on a warm summer's day.

The current boat race organisers have decided that they will handing the event over to a new fund raising group in the future. If your organisation would like to take on this extremely popular community event, please contact: