UP Match weekend has become notorious for its almost Spring Break-like atmosphere of partying, the pinnacle of which occurs on Sunday at the annual Non-Mariners Race in Mangrove Bay.

Come Sunday morning, ice and beer are bought, suntan lotion is applied, swimsuits are put on, and boats are gassed up for the one of the biggest parties on water in Bermuda.

But what is often overlooked while on one's boat is the actual reason for the raft-up ? to see the political-satire and general tomfoolery of the Non-Mariners Race non-participants.

The event came to be in the early 1960s in a dark and smoky Queen Street pub known as The Horse and Buggy.

The Society for Non-Mariners non-treasurer Colin Gladwin reminisced this week about the non-founding of the non-race.

"What happened was, a couple of my friends were gathered at the Horse and Buggy in 1961, having a couple drinks, when someone said, 'How bout we have a little fun on Sunday?'

"So they went up to the Dump and pulled out a baby carriage and a doll and then drove down to Albouys Point. Now, when they got there they noticed a good amount of people sitting around, so they dropped the carriage in the water and walked away and turned to see what happened.

"Now, of course, there was an even larger crowd gathered because, well, they saw a baby floating away."

The event became an excuse to get rowdy and have a party, and thankfully that is still par for the course.

"What we would do from then on was go up to the Dump and get things that might float, like a bathtub or whatnot, then head to our friend Ted White's house and have a pre-non-race libation, following which we'd get in our non-floats and tire ourselves out trying to get to the finish.

"After the non-race ended up we were too tired to dispose of our non-floats so we'd hide them in the mangroves and go to a mate's house and have a couple drinks for a non-presentation using rusted appliances from the Dump as prizes," Mr. Gladwin said.

However, the event came under heat in 1962 because of the Newport-Bermuda ocean sailing race and concerns from the Corporation of Hamilton. The problem arose when the Royal Navy dug up an old green bus and strapped floatation devices to it to see if it would float.

The bus made it to Number 8 dock and then sank. Of course, this caused a big problem and they were told that they needed to take out one million dollars' worth of liability insurance in case a non-float hit a boat. So nothing happened in 1963 and '64. "Back then we were all musicians, so we would play at night in hotels and what not. We ended up playing at Sandys Boat Club one night and afterwards, after a few drinks of course, somebody said, 'Why don't we have a non-mariners race?'

"So from then on we had the Non-Mariners Race. We made it official in 1972 with the permission of Sandys Boat Club and took out insurance because the popularity of the non-event had grown. So now we had to be concerned about the boats spectating in Mangrove Bay. Thankfully, we've never had any accidents or claims through the years," Mr. Gladwin recalled.

"The only time we may have had some troubles was when people started throwing around flour-bombs. Flour-bombs are just plastic bags filled with flour that you throw. So these are being thrown around and somehow, perhaps purposefully, three of them end up flying through the windows of a very expensive yacht and covering the interior in flour.

"But we were lucky because the owner ended up being a nice chap and not causing trouble, but you can imagine if he wasn't nice what might have happened," Mr. Gladwin laughed.

Some spectators, if not distracted by the music and beer, may have noticed that every year they fly a non-painted non-flag at half mast, and have a non-ceremony on the dock in mourning of the loss of a non-member.

"We were meeting to discuss the non-race, and as somebody stood up, they stepped on a cockroach. So now every year I dress up as a non-minister and we have a non-ceremony for our cockroach. I say a few 'Our Fathers' and what not and we put a dead cockroach in a matchbox with a rock tied to it and throw him off the dock. Following which we would all jump in after."

The history and traditions of the Non-Mariners Race were born out of pints of beer and fuzzy logic, only adding to the playful atmosphere of the non-event.

However, the Society for Non-Mariners has grown thin as many of the original members have either left the island or passed away. To counteract this thinning and to help out with the organisation of the non-event, Sandys Boat Club has become a part of the non-event and helps out with the whole process.

"We've become more sophisticated now, of course, though we have proper non-entry forms which the non-mariners are required to fill in. Questions like the name and type of the non-float, the non-captain, number of people under 18, number of people over 18, things like that. And we also have a disclaimer at the bottom saying we are not responsible for any altercations that may happen during the race," Mr. Gladwin said.

race day, the non-course is laid out using old laundry detergent bottles tied to rocks, making sure none of the 70 or so boats that showed up this year make their way onto the non-course. The non-floats are entered and at some point during the day they are launched, most meeting the expectations of the non-event by sinking.

"[The Non-Mariners Race is a great tradition, a great family event. We're trying to get a younger generation into it so that when we are tossed overboard in a box they can carry on in our place," Mr. Gladwin said with a hoarse voice.

"Our numbers have dwindled over the years, but it will happen come hell or high water. I think that as long as people expect it to happen, it will."

Judging from Sunday's turnout of 70-odd boats rafted up to one another, some getting there as early as 10 o'clock in the morning, continuing the non-party won't serve as a problem. And with 17 non-floats entered this year, the non-race seems just as safe.

Looking ahead to next year, members expect even more non-entries into the Non-Mariners Race. To quote the motto of the Society of Non-Mariners: "The sea shall not have them. The sea does not want them."