My first duct tape boat race

While in Verona covering the Cattail Festival last weekend I got the opportunity to shoot at the 2013 Red Green Cardboard + Duct tape Boat Race.  I couldn't really wrap my brain around a boat made of cardboard so I had to see for myself.

Each team was given one roll of duct tape and a few large pieces of cardboard (mostly from appliance boxes).  They had 1-hour to design/build a boat that could be rowed by two people around the short course and make it back to shore.

The small park was a fury of boat building when I arrived.  It seemed to be a real family affair with most of the adults building and the kids helping where they could.   I spoke with the organizers and they told me that over the years the variety of designs was amazing and that 1/3 of the boats wouldn't make if off the beach, 1/3 wouldn't make it around the markers, leaving the last 1/3 actually making it back to shore.

They offered to let me go out in one of the boats to shoot from the water.  That way I could capture the crowds on the shore as well at the boats in the water.

There were 17 competing boats and only 7 of them made it off the beach, around the markers and back to shore.  A few didn't even make it off the beach :P

It was a really fun event to shoot and  I would definitely jump at the chance again.

The Dads made the boat and their daughters were the rowers

Mother and daughter team - Winner of best boat design

The first of 4 waves of competitors

This team's boat was called "May Contain Nuts!"

May Contain Nuts! won the Most Spectacular Sinking award

The kids were so light that they were able to stand and row without sinking

The rescue boat ended up just rescuing the cardboard - all the capsized competitors were able to swim to shore

There was a wide variety of boat designs

This team won the best boat design award

The boat in the top left tipped over as it got off the shore

Luckily it was only a short swim back to shore.  This team giggled the whole way.

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