Rye Raft Race 2010

Last weekend we went to the Rye Raft Race, on the River Rother. Here's a few pics (from my mobile phone, so not great quality...).

The launch area was downstream from the road bridge, alongside the quay. Here's some of the rafts getting ready to launch:


"Thrust 5", along with "Atlas Business Park", had a petrol engine on the back, not to move the raft but to power a water jet for combat during the race!

Some took it pretty seriously, while other rafts were more decorative.


The top end of the course was a buoy near the road bridge:

Most rafts completed several laps, though I think this one only managed one...

While most of the rafts were pretty big, there was also this one, which actually fell apart, and they tied it back together and carried on!

All in all, good fun to watch - make sure you see it next time, end of August 2011.

Mike

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Seabirds at Camber Sands

As it was sunny this morning, I took a walk along to the channel the Rother flows along, and then back along the beach to Camber. As the tide was low, there were plenty of seabirds flying along the line of the river but actually below where I was on the sea defences:
allowing me to get some good pictures:
That's a Herring Gull - plenty of them around, usual, here's some more pics:
and it's bigger cousin, the Great Black-backed Gull:
The smaller Black-headed Gull was around too:
and inquisitive as to what I was doing:
The other bird I saw a lot of was the Oyster Catcher:
I know the next one looks the same as the one above, but I like it as it has the bird, its shadow and its reflection all in one photo:
I also saw one Cormorant:
and one Mallard, which was maybe a bit lost?
The sea defences aren't actually in great shape:
but I guess the local council is going to be to broke to fix them any time soon. Hope we don't get a storm surge this winter!

And to finish, a view along Camber Sands, from the Rother end of the beach:
Mike

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