Gibraltar Cardboard Boat Race 2026

Ocean Village Marina was back to its chaotic, cardboard-fuelled best on Saturday 4th July, as the RAOB Charity Cardboard Boat Race made its return for another year. Pretty Sailing was proud to be main sponsor once again, and as always, the event didn’t disappoint – dozens of homemade vessels, a packed shore-side crowd, and plenty of boats that had considerably more style than seaworthiness.

 

What the race is all about!

Organised by the Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes (RAOB) in partnership with Ocean Village, the Cardboard Boat Race is exactly what it sounds like: teams design and build a boat out of nothing but cardboard and tape, then paddle it across the marina in front of a packed crowd. Boats are judged and raced in junior and adult categories, with prizes for overall placings alongside fan-favourite awards for Best Boat Design, Best Fancy Dress, and the notorious Titanic Award – handed out each year for the most dramatic sinking. Every entry goes towards a good cause, with proceeds from the race supporting the Cancer Relief Centre Gibraltar and the GBC Open Day.

 

This year’s results.

In the adult race, ‘Sea You Later’ took the top spot, with Bally’s finishing in second place. The adults’ Best Boat Design award went to ‘Pretty Shipfaced’ – the Pretty Sailing entry – with ‘Lazy Daisy’ taking second in that category, while ‘Argued with the Wife’ picked up the adults’ Best Fancy Dress prize.

In the junior race, ‘Yellow Submarine’ claimed the win, with ‘Bayside Buoys’ coming in second. ‘Dogs’ took home the Best Fancy Dress prize for the juniors.

The Overall Titanic Award for the most spectacular sinking went to ‘RN,’ while Biking Boat was named the sponsors’ favourite. The public favourite was a close contest between ‘Rock Socials’ and ‘Lazy Daisy’ – the Cancer Relief Gibraltar boat – with ‘Lazy Daisy coming out on top.

Why we sponsor it.

At Pretty Sailing, our day to day is all about getting people out on proper boats and helping them feel confident and comfortable on the water. But the Cardboard Boat Race taps into something just as important to us; community, a bit of healthy competition, and a shared love of being out on Gibraltar’s water – even in a vessel that, technically, should not float. Sponsoring the race is our way of putting something back into an event that brings so many different parts of Gibraltar together for a genuinely good cause, and huge congratulations to Sea You Later and Yellow Submarine on their wins this year.

Thanks to everyone who built, paddled, sank, and cheered from the sidelines – and to Cancer Relief Gibraltar and the GBC Open Day, who this event exists to support. We’re already looking forward to next year.