Stepping aboard a vessel of ideas, while a red-hatted crew clutching clipboards ushers you onto the decks of a fast filling ferry – it’s not the way you’d usually spend a Friday afternoon. But then, that was the point.
It was Black Beard’s fierce façade and Steve Jobs’ unstoppable drive. It was doing stuff for the love of it and getting picked up by Sky. It was the jutting tide, and queasiness quelled by Fisherman’s Friends. It was the fact that for a third of a second when you move your eyes, you’re completely blind. It was reading each other’s minds.
Holding on tight as we nearly collided. Peeling open orange envelopes and hunting for the name inside. Seaweed sausages, Sipsmith gin, impromptu poetry, seventeenth century prostitutes teetering on window sills, and sharing yogurt with really long spoons. The sound of Cornish folk-infused hip hop in our ears and the taste of fair-sailed rum on our lips.
It was all this and so much more, but the most impressive thing of all, was our guests. From sitting cross legged on a ferry floor to hiking up Jacob’s Ladder on a bullshit tour – their gusto was amazing and really made Raft what it was. And we can’t thank them enough for being bold enough to step away from their desks on a busy Friday afternoon ready to fill their lungs with fresh air and their minds with fresh thoughts.
A huge thank you we failed to mention aboard as we careered through the waves, goes to Sideways. This wonderful crew not only donated their The Challengers Almanac tote bags (and five copies of the book that we’re yet to give away), but their Gentlemen Broadcasters also captured every moment on film – which will be edited and let loose online over the next week. Keep your eyes peeled for the chance to catch some Raft highlights.
Big thank yous also go out to: Kyra Maya Phillips, Molly Naylor, John Osborne, Stuart Nolan, Dave Waller, Reuben Williams (Bullshit London), Finisterre, Sideways, Gentlemen Broadcasters, New Dawn Traders, Offshore Images, The Cornish Seaweed Company, Sipsmith, Fisherman’s Friends, Yallah Coffee, Hand Bar, The Townhouse, The Princessa, our red-hatted helpers and all other helping hands. We salute you.