Porthleven’s raft race finally sets sail this Sunday

Porthleven Harbour is about to fill with cardboard, driftwood, sequins and rather more glitter than a Sunday morning usually calls for.

Registration opens at the Slip from 10.30am

The Porthleven Raft Race is back this Sunday, 20 September, after last year’s event was rained off entirely. This time the forecast is playing along, and organisers are gearing up for the harbour to fill with home-built vessels once again.

Racers should report to the Slipway from 10.30am to sign in, hand over their entry form, pay the £5 entry fee (cash or card accepted) and get their raft ready. Every penny raised goes straight to Porthleven Lights. There are no road closures around the Slip, so anyone hauling a raft down on the day is asked to be patient and mindful of other harbour users.

Keep left, and give the moored boats a wide berth

Once a raft is launched, crews are asked to stick to the Harbour Inn side of the marker buoys and stay well clear of the boats moored in the harbour. It is a rule with a serious point behind the fun: nobody wants somebody’s pride and joy getting tangled up in a stray paddle.

The Mayor starts it all at midday

The Town Mayor fires the race away from the cannons by The Ship Inn at 12pm sharp. From there it is flat out from the start line to the turnaround buoy, round it, and back to the finish line at the Slipway. First raft home without sinking takes the win. Power comes from paddles, oars or pedals only, nothing else is allowed on the water.

What’s up for grabs

Four trophies are on the table. The Champion goes to the fastest raft over the whole course. Best Raft rewards the build that shows the most creativity and craftsmanship, while Worst Raft goes the other way entirely, celebrating whichever vessel is barely holding itself together and staying afloat anyway. Best Fancy Dress follows this year’s theme of “Intergalactic Nautical Nonsense”, which racers are free to interpret however they like.

One rule carries real teeth. Throwing eggs is banned outright, and anyone caught doing it faces instant disqualification and a ban.

Clean-up, pints and Kerosene Cocktail

Crews have from 1pm to 1.45pm to get their rafts hauled out and cleared from the slipway before the awards, so the harbour can be left tidy before anyone heads for a pint. Trophies are handed out outside The Ship Inn at 2pm, and Kerosene Cocktail take over with live music from 3pm to keep the afternoon going.

Spectators are told to find their spot along the harbour walls before midday for the best view, of what should, weather permitting, be considerably less soggy than last year’s attempt.