Scottish Raft Racing

In June 1992 one of the largest crowds for a number of years gathered on the banks of the River Tay on a bright summers day, to watch the final Great Kenmore to Aberfeldy Raft Race. Scotlad from Letham finally made it over the finish line in first place, ahead of 101 other teams, after a number of years of competing at the front end. First Ladies team was Valkyrie from Blackburn.

In 1987, the Kenmore to Aberfeldy Raft Race weekend was once again marred by anti-social behaviour. Race Commodore Al Thomson was pretty dismayed by the whole episode and he and his committee pressed ahead valiantly for the next five years trying to curtail incidences such as these occurring, but unfortunately the tide against them was too strong! 😔

The 1987 Kenmore to Aberfeldy Raft Race saw a number of new teams coming to the fore to challenge the old guard of Grease, Sundancer, Hard Graft & Aye Last. The commanding winners of the race were Omega, a team from Tranent, who won a number of races in the 1987 SURF Championship.

The week before the 1986 Kenmore to Aberfeldy Raft Race one crew got into a spot of bother, whilst on a practice run through the Chinese Bridge Rapids.

We came across this little clip of the first Kelso to Carham Raft race in 1979.

Raft Race Kelso.wmv Great Tweed Raft Race 1979Kelso to Carham

In 1982 BBC TV filmed the Kenmore to Aberfeldy Raft Race with Suzanne Dando and the footage was aired on the 12th August 1982 on a programme called Stopwatch. Does anyone have any recollection of the raft she was a member of that day?

The Killin Raft Race report from the 1992 race, as reported in the Killin News.

We came across this article of the Griffin Grafters competing in the 1981 Kenmore to Aberfeldy Raft Race.

Kenmore to Aberfeldy Raft Race Photographs are courtesy of John Macdonald, who was a Tilhill forester at the time of the establishm

At the beginning of July and after five laps of Lochgelly Loch, Grease extended their lead in the 1984 SURF Championship to 31 points ahead of Hard Graft and Sundancer both sitting in second place on 46 points with Birnam Oak a further three points behind.

The Captain of Grease, Willie Matheson, showing the Trophy Haul from the 1984 season. He had just found out that the Forfar Rugby Club Raft Race Trophy had been secretly modified by one of the crew, who's identity will remain a secret for now😉

Here are the full results and SURF report from the 1984 Kenmore to Aberfeldy Raft Race👇

Back to the 1984 Kenmore to Aberfeldy Raft Race for this picture. Possibly the most exciting finish to the race in the battle for second place; as Hard Graft, Birnam Oak, More Sure & Steadfast and Grease all frantically wait for their crew mates at the bottom of the island.