Is the future of Coracles in danger? Is there a new kid in the harbour? What are they actually called?
These are questions visitors to this year’s Scottish Traditional Boat Festival were asking. For many years the Coracles have been seen and tried out in Portsoy’s Old Harbour, and visitors look forward to chatting with the Coracle Society guys, and seeing them in action. This was again the case this year, and they held court on the Saturday bobbing, or rather revolving gently in the calm, sunny waters. However, all changed on the Sunday, when strange plastic creations were launched, admittedly with some trepidation, by the Boat Festival stewards. This was the start of something new…
What do you call it when two plastic baths are joined together, and what do you call the racing event that goes with them? Are they Bathermerans or Bathtubs? Is the race a Bathalon, Bathathon, or simply Bathtubbing? As far as Portsoy is concerned, they’re Bathtubs, and the racing is Bathtubbing, which, it turns out is great fun, and everyone loved it.
Bathtubbing came about at the Boat Festival as a way to attract young people to water sports. The traditional festival Raft Race is always popular but is only for over 16’s so there’s a gap and therefore an opportunity. There was a suggestion of tractor inner tubes and even Wheelie Bins, but for this year the festival decided to try Bathtubs. From careful research, and a bit of Googling it was found that there is a thing called Bathtubbing, and it even has a World Championship in Wales. However, from watching the videos, running a single bath, looked a wee bit scary for use in a harbour, so the decision was made to have 2 baths together.
The festival was very kindly given 12 standard plastic baths by Carron Baths of Falkirk, and one of the festival’s main supporters, Urquhart Joinery Services carried out the conversion.
Baths were sealed using fibreglass matting, and the baths joined together using aluminium angle section and a timber frame. Additional buoyancy was from 4” drainage tubes along each side, and sealed. Paddles were simple wooden affairs.
Before the Festival weekend these Bathtubs had not been trialled, or even seen water, so there were a few nerves when the first one hit the beach in front of a quayside audience, some 3 sets of concerned parents, 6 excited children, and our water safety team. The baths sat naturally high in the water, and when the 2 crew members climbed aboard it was clear that these were stable craft.
The children had time before the race took place to become accustomed to their new challenges.
In no time at all, the bathtubbers were off and away. There were a few different styles to paddling, and seating position, but crucially, it seemed impossible to turn the boats over, sink them, or fall out of them. Parents started to smile, and the kids loved it.
The racing was pretty arbitrary, as the kids were having fun, but there was a winner and everyone was happy.
The Water safety crew offered to run the Bathubs after the racing was finished, and this proved very popular. Although they were primarily designed for young people, during the day there was a real mix of crews, and abilities. It didn’t seem to matter if it was adults, children, teens or a mix, the tubs were very stable and it seems impossible to sink or turn over, and there some pretty serious attempts made.
Is this the end for Coracles? Nah, they’ll always be welcome in Portsoy, and they have a dedicated following. Bathubs are here to stay, but they know their place.
Richard Thorne - Maritime Co-Ordinator Scottish Traditional Boat Festival, Portsoy
