The first round of the annual Smalltown Area Stuck-in-the-Mud Meet took place in Bream on Sunday, slightly later in the season this year than usual, but proving to be a huge success.
Known as the ‘Greatest Free Show on Earth’ (Ed – I won’t tell you again. The Greatest Free Show is Carnivoo.) the event sees car owners compete to get their vehicle bogged down in the mud and covered by as many incoming tides as possible before getting towed out.
The Soft Sand Stakes are the preliminary round and see contestants park their vehicles on the softest sand available on the beach. Crowds are then encouraged to watch, point and jeer as attempts are made to remove the vehicle.
However, this year the first competitor bypassed the initial Soft Sand Stakes, as the entrant, Bryan Smethwick from Brumingham, went straight in for the win.
Bryan said “I saw all the signs warning beachgoers not to drive too far towards the sea, but I didn’t think they applied to me, because I have a 4×4 vehicle.
I just drove down towards the sea and hit a soft patch of mud where the wheels got stuck. I was surprised when I realised what was happening.”
A member of last year’s Champion-winning team, the Bream Area Rescue Ranger and Enjoyment Dictator (BARRED) raised the alarm and the Smalltown Coasties arrived on scene where they were able to confirm that the occupants had made it to safety without the need for assistance.
A member of the watching crowd said “It was brilliant. There’s usually a good chance that the Really Needy Lifesaving Association (RNLA) or Smalltown Area Ship, Hovercraft and Helicopter (SMASHH) will be called in to effect a rescue, but this time a recovery vehicle was called in almost immediately.
Thanks to a combination of the vehicle being too far down the beach and a rapid incoming tide, there was no time to pull the vehicle out and we were rewarded with the sight of it completely disappearing under the waves.
The watching crowd let out an enormous cheer as the roof of the truck disappeared from view. It really did make our holiday.”
The car was eventually recovered on Monday, with the help of seven recovery vehicles. A spokesperson said “The extra pulling power was required because, having been submerged by two tides, the vehicle was full of sand.
Not only that, but the Mayor of Smalltown and Dullbridge insisted on sitting on the roof of the vehicle while it was extracted from the mud, having told us ‘it would make a great photo opportunity.’.
The vehicle is now a write-off due to the dent in the roof.”
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