Ythan Raft Race 1995

The Spirit of St Olaf

The Spirit of St. Olaf raft marked the final outing of the lodge in the Ythan The summer of 1995 marked a pivotal moment in the history of the Ythan Raft Race, as Lodge St. Olaf entered its final years of participation. After dominating the competition and winning top prizes for nine consecutive years, the Lodge’s entries had become a staple of the event. However, that year, something extraordinary happened that would elevate the race to new heights.
Scottish Television approached the Raft Race organizers with a unique request—to film the race from a participant’s point of view. Their popular Scottish activities programme, co-hosted by Dougie Vipond and Jenny Faulkner, was searching for a suitable raft to hitch a lift on, and naturally, the organizers suggested the St. Olaf entry. This marked a huge leap in media coverage for the event and catapulted the Lodge’s participation into a whole new league of visibility.
Though the St. Olaf entries had always attracted attention in the local press, this year saw a flurry of articles that brought the Lodge into the spotlight like never before. The event was given superb coverage in the final programme, which turned out to be the Lodge’s swan song in the Ythan Raft Race. The race continued for just two more years before concluding its impressive 25-year run as Europe’s largest raft race, a major attraction in the North East of Scotland.

Result: The Winner of the Most Creative Raft