The third annual Recycled Cardboard Boat Regatta happens August 6th on the Nanticoke River and in my mind it is amazing
Did you know the Recycled Cardboard Boat Regatta was a thing? I did not. This boat race is open to anyone who has built their own boat— any shape, any size, the sky’s the limit— out of recycled cardboard. That boat is permitted to be painted with multiple coats of any one-part polyurethane or enamel paint, and needs to be able to be paddled about 200 yards to the finish line. It’s sort of like the Red Bull Flugtag, only the vehicles need to be seaworthy and made of cardboard.
The Recycled Cardboard Boat Regatta takes place August 6th at the Nanticoke River Public Marine Park. Onsite registration/sign-in begins at noon. Judging begins at 1:00 and the races go off starting at 2:00. Boat decorations can be removed after judging, before racing. There will be music and food available.
Registering for the race costs $20 until July 30th, $30 from July 31st through the day of. If you have friends competing, you can officially “challenge” them during registration and you’ll race each other in the same heat.
Awards will be given in the following categories:
- Race winners: individual, family, clubs and businesses, and non-profits and government organizations
- Appearance: Best Constructed Boat, Best Decorated Boat, Best Team Effort and Most Whimsical Boat
- Spectators will vote for a People’s Choice winner
- “Titanic Award” will be given for the best and “Most Dramatic Sinking” (not sure if that means one or two awards)
Sounds like a good time for competitors and for spectators! Watch the video below for footage of the past two regattas. (The images of this post are from the video.)
The Nanticoke River Public Marine Park is located at 26 N. Market Street, Blades, DE 19973.
The third annual Recycled Cardboard Boat Regatta is presented by the Delaware Nature Society’s Abbott’s Mill Nature Center, in conjunction with DNREC’s Division of Watershed Stewardship’s Reclaim Our River Program, the Town of Blades and the Nanticoke River Sail & Power Squadron Nanticoke River Public Marine Park.