04-Jul-2026
Today we were at the 55th World Tin Bath Championships, which take place in Castletown harbour.
This event has apparently been going since 1972. Which means I should remember it... But I don't, so maybe it was very small back at the beginning.
Not small now, though... Encouraged by the bright and breezy summer's day, hundreds of spectators turned up to watch people attempt to pilot tin baths around a marked course, or join huge inner tubes together for the "snake race", or attempt unpowered flight (essentially this means dressing up and jumping into the water...).
I was never tempted to think any of those challenges would be easy, and there was no shortage of evidence to prove that. Some competitors sank before even reaching the start line... But it was all enormous fun.
Here are a few of the pictures:
And they're off! The guy in the orange wig proved to be really good
This was a common experience...
Still going really well
And not going quite so well...
Some baths were awesomely decorated
A horse tram bath is a great idea
But now we're on the return journey, and the horse has disappeared...
A definite crowd-pleaser, Elvis performed his way around the course
And here are the snake racers
The inevitable outcome for the unpowered flight people...
After watching for a while, we took a coffee break at the Earl of Derby...
...and then found a pozzy in a different location
This guy's starting to bail at the front, but the crowd is shouting: "Watch the back! The back!"
And they were right...
So, it was all very entertaining, with spectators and competitors throwing themselves into the spirit of the thing. And all the profits go to charity...