Cardboard boats set afloat

COLEBROOK — As a finale to the Colebrook Fair on Saturday, Sept. 5, the third annual Cardboard Boat Regatta dazzled and entertained spectators at the Colebrook Pond.

Spectators cheered and gasped as the brave amatuer sailors attempted to paddle their cardboard creations out onto the pond and back to shore in the fastest time without sinking.

With a variety of crafts ranging from simple box-shaped hot-rods decorated with crayons to elaborate longboats in the shape of unicorns or viking warships, the race offered a spectacle and splashing good time for people of all ages.

“What’s really a hoot is watching the ones that sink,” Ron Aubel, the regatta’s organizer, creative director and master of ceremonies said about the event.

Aubel said the regatta started as a way to increase attendance at the fair, especially among the younger demographics.

“After an overwhelming success in their first year, the regatta has continued to generate participation, and get a lot of laughter and fun out of people,” he said.

 “We’ve always had a party to go to in past years,” Heather Underwood, who helped sponsor a boat at the regatta, said about the event “I’m surprised at how big it is.”

The competition was divided into two main groups: School children and adults, with several age categories further dividing the field. Boats could carry a single person or several, with the median number of occupants seeming to be two or three.

The category with the most entrants was “parent with one or more children,” according to Aubel.

Prizes were handed out for each category’s fastest boat, with further prizes for “funkiest” costume and most creative craft.

“And everybody, sink or swim, gets a free ice cream from Dairy Queen,” Aubel said.

He added that the Dairy Queen gift certificates were donated, as were most of the other prizes.

Paddles, life-vests and volunteer lifeguards were all provided by Camp Jewell.

Marty Nial, who was racing a Tweety Bird-themed boat with a child co-pilot, said that after seeing the first race in 2012, she knew that she wanted to compete in the event.

“Last year, we were the Pedal Pushers, and this year we had all these feathers we needed to use for our boat,” Nial said.

Other themes and costumes included superheros, “Minions,” as seen in the popular movie franchise and video games.

During each run, spectators were treated to live commentary by Aubel, who offered encouraging words to the sailors as well as pointing out to them when their crafts began to take on water, to the delight of the spectators.

“The great thing is how simple it is,” Aubel said. “They build them, they bring them and they run them. But some boats sink before they get past the starting line.”