Mullion preparing for edible boats and a sea horse steeplechase (From This is The West Country)

Mullion preparing for edible boats and a sea horse steeplechase

5:24pm Thursday 20th August 2009 in Cornwall

This year’s Mullion Harbour Day will see something just a little bit different, in the form of Cornwall’s very first edible boat race and sea horse steeplechase.

Visitors to the National Trust-organised event are being asked to bring along a boat made entirely of edible produce to be entered into the race. Ideas so far include courgette cutters, cucumber canoes, weetabix outriggers, banana barges, carrot cruisers or chocolate schooners. So long as it is 100 per cent edible – and therefore biodegradable – is boat shaped and floats, it will be allowed to enter. There will be prizes for the best design, sea worthiness and best boat. There will also be a special prize for the most “home-grown” entry.

Meanwhile in the sea horse steeplechase – also known as the Grand National Trust – the “jockeys” will ride their hobby horses made from recycled body boards down the slipway, over a few jumps before swimming their horses across the harbour and back again. A sweepstake will allow onlookers to back their favoured sea horse.

All the fun is being held on Saturday, August 29 at Mullion Harbour from noon, with the edible boat race at around 4pm.

However, is also a serious message to the day. Justin Whitehouse, National Trust area warden for the Lizard, who is organising the event, said: “Every year on the Lizard alone the National Trust collects over 15 skip loads of rubbish from our beaches. Most of this rubbish is plastics discarded from boats. This plastic can take hundreds of years to decompose and is responsible for killing all sorts of marine life.”

Other events on the day will include games and activities including plate diving and the legendary greasy pole, plus visits from an RNLI lifeboat and 771 Squadron Rescue Helicopter from RNAS Culdrose.