Duck Race
Unlike last year, when the weather on the day had rain beyond belief, this years Oban Rotary Duck Race took place in benign conditions with very little water or flow in the Black Lynn. Indeed, the ducks had to be "encouraged", by three brave Rotarians who took up residence in the burn, to reach their destination in Oban bay. The slowness of the ducks, however, made it more of a spectacle, in that the large number of onlookers, especially the children, were able to appreciate the procession in what was a rather sedate form! The event was, as usual, a great success with over £2,000 being raised for local good causes and Oban Rotary is grateful to the continuing generosity of locals and indeed the many visitors who bought ducks. Fund raising aside, Oban Rotary see the Annual Duck Race as a fun event which provides entertainment for both locals and visitors during the summer season. The event involves dropping 500 ducks in four colours - blue, green, red and yellow - in to the Black Lynn at the Combie Street bridge with the first three to appear in Oban Bay the winners. The winners were Yellow Duck 2 ( two winners who each received £50), Blue Duck 110( 1 winner getting £25) and Green Duck 74 ( 3 winners who each received £15).
Our picture shows Oban Rotary President Iain Mac Intyre launching the ducks and feathers(!) in to the Black Lynn to be received by their guardians, Rotarians Chris Sutton, Tommy MacQuade and Roger Parry. We are reliably informed that all 500 ducks were safely retrieved from Oban bay by Chris Sutton using a rowing boat which was a spectacle in itself.
