North Berwick Raft Race Transcript
A short video by Hugh Trevor
0:09 The town of North Berwick is well known
0:12 as the Scottish seaside holiday resort
0:15 with wonderful views of the Bass Rock
0:18 and Fidra Island.
0:21 What is not so well known is that for
0:24 the last 20 years or more, a raft race
0:27 has been held every summer.
0:30 Different organisations make a raft from
0:33 empty barrels, polystyrene blocks or
0:37 anything that will float and set off on
0:40 a gruelling course of nearly a mile –
0:43 500 yards from the shore to a bukoy, 500
0:48 yards across to the harbour wall and 500
0:52 yards back to the starting point.
0:58 [Applause]
1:02 “Thank you.
1:06 Right, good afternoon, we are the Jolly
1:09 Marley Green Giants and we constructed
1:13 this amazing raft
1:16 four years ago. This is our third
1:19 attempt to win, we’ve been second last
1:22 we’ve been second, but we've always won
1:25 the fancy dress and that’s because of
1:27 our great innovation of our team. You and
1:30 Grubb yeah hello hello uh Jack Grubb say
1:34 hello, hello
1:36 Richard Mitchell say hello, hello, hello.
1:40 We are under bombardment from the annual
1:43 water balloon and egg throwing
1:45 competition.
1:46 We will intend to win and we are the
1:49 team
1:50 Marley Green Giants. Thanks very much, bye.”
1:56 “Hello we’re the Oor Wullie craft as you can see here Oor Wullie craft is
2:00 brought to you in association with
2:02 Joinery Erection Services and circus
2:04 and this is the third year we've tried
2:06 it, first two years have been memorable
2:08 but easily forgettable. This year we'll
2:10 happily take a trophy before we start as
2:13 you can see it's a fine craft uh
2:14 ultimately designed by our design
2:16 technicians after many hours spent in the
2:19 pub and we would like to wish everybody
2:21 all the very best and sorry that we made
2:23 you look all very silly.”
2:25 “This is Leuchie House reigning
2:27 Champions, this is our raft and it's
2:29 pretty much identical to last year
2:31 except for the extra layer of polystyrene
2:34 at the bottom because our beer
2:35 bellies are significantly larger than
2:37 they were last year. So
2:39 uh are we just gonna enjoy it and
2:42 probably win it as well so thanks very
2:44 much.”
3:08 “We come every year and the only hope we
3:10 have of winning anything is a fancy dress
3:12 and we need the people a cheer for us
3:14 this year because we're getting a bit
3:16 old for all this.”
3:26 Another raft has just arrived.
3:32 Down to the water’s edge please.
4:00 Everybody go!
4:10 [Applause]
4:25 Thank you.
4:47 This is miji outside broadcast
4:50 to the sky watching this thrilling and
4:54 exciting rough face as it takes off
4:56 they're all dog and wondering whether to
4:58 finish before thunder and lightning rent
5:01 the air pouring its fire and
5:03 brimstone on these enthusiastic…
5:06 he should be doing this professionally…
5:08 [Applause]
5:22 Here is the first marker of the course
5:25 the orange boy.
5:29 From here the rafts turn towards the
5:32 harbour.
5:33 The two leading crews are going neck and
5:36 neck.
5:47 There is dirty work going on here, the
5:50 red crew trying to swamp the bath and
5:53 slow it down.
6:15 The leading crew has touched the harbour
6:17 wall, the second marker and has begun the
6:21 last leg back to the start.
6:24 [Music]
6:33 There they are, they’re coming up behind
6:36 fast that’s the leading group there and
6:38 just….
6:42 pull it weave it and see where they are
6:44 in relation to each other team’s coming
6:46 up fast on there.
6:55 “Wow come on guys keep pulling.
6:58 People like people like not overtaking
7:03 but we’re taking
7:05 the dragging everything out good and I'm
7:08 losing track of where they are
7:14 [Music]
7:18 Let's see…
7:21 no they're streaking into the lead
7:59 [Applause]
8:08 Wow, very good let's see where they run
8:11 to oh no, they've got to run up the
8:13 beach now where are they of to
8:15 [Music]
8:23 The red crew, the Leuchie House team rather
8:27 than the pirate crew, the Royal National
8:30 Lifeboat Institution, has been declared
8:33 the winners because all their crew
8:36 members touched the wooden post first.
8:39 [Applause]
8:42 Let’s see how the other Crews managed.
8:48 [Music]
8:50 Right.
8:53 Guys,
8:57 you're not going anywhere I just want to
9:00 see this blue one seems to be crewed by
9:02 so quite young
9:03 people.
9:07 The pirate’s flag is up.
9:24 Thank you.
9:27 This is the last craft being crewed by a
9:31 group of young senior girls from the
9:33 high school.
9:35 They are finding it hard going and
9:37 they’re being helped a bit, but they do
9:40 make it to the end.
9:44 [Music]
9:49 [Music]
9:52 Yeah they're getting shoved in aren't
9:54 they or something?
9:55 [Music]
9:57 Somebody else jump in again and save them.
10:02 Oh keep them going.
10:05 It may be a while but they are keeping
10:07 going.
10:27 Thank you
10:40 The pirate ship paves the way into the North Berwick
10:43 Harbour.
10:46 There’s ten of them for goodness sakes
10:51 what did they pick somebody up on the
10:52 way?
10:54 You’ve been known to carry your boat all the
10:57 way up the wall.
11:04 Pat Burton if she will present the
11:07 prizes.
11:10 The brand new cup for the raft race
11:14 winners. The winners outright of Leuchie
11:16 House! Congratulations.
11:20 [Applause]
11:35 Well done gentlemen, many
11:37 congratulations. There's a Lifeboat crew
11:40 where have they gone yeah ah come on
11:47 you are getting a special prize I'm
11:50 sorry
11:52 a bottle of champagne and some beer
11:56 down there as well okay so
11:58 congratulations to you as well.
12:03 Well done a great sporting event gentlemen.
12:06 Well done and look look at your house.
12:08 Second year running, will it be a third
12:10 next year? Yes? No it won’t because I'm
12:13 gonna make time.
12:17 Yet again this year’s winners on the
12:21 fancy dress competition are the Jolly
12:24 Marley Green Giants.
12:26 [Applause]
12:54 [Music]
12:59 [Applause]
13:10 [Music]
13:23 Thank you.