Landlords are preparing to do battle on the briny - but a crucial element is missing.
The Pub Shovel Race is being relaunched this year as part of the Wivenhoe Regatta but the original trophy is missing and the hunt is on to find the silverware.
The regatta was relaunched last year after a gap of ten years.
It was originally organised by the town's sailing club but lost its identity when the club moved away from the Quay.
The regatta day is on Saturday, August 2, and includes rowing races and the return of the Pub Shovel Race.
The race first appeared in the mid 1960s and was a regular fixture up to the early 1980s.
It was open to all the pubs in Wivenhoe to provide a team of three paddlers, each only allowed a shovel.
With each team in a dinghy, they had to paddle their way around a short course near the Quay.
Richard Barnard, chairman of the regatta committee, won the shovel trophy in 1975.
He said: "The rules were always a little vague and unsportsman-like attempts to stop an opponent in the lead were not unknown!"
"There was originally a small silver cup presented each year to the winning pub, who kept it for a year.
"No-one can remember who won the last Pub Shovel Race and enquiries around Wivenhoe have not yet produced results."
Companies sponsoring the regatta include the Evening Gazette, First Great Eastern, Bovis Homes and Dream 100.
If you have any information on the trophy, please contact Mr Barnard on 01206 823890
Published Friday, June 6, 2003
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