Strong winds didn’t deter hundreds of spectators from flocking to Madeira Park for the April Tools Wooden Boat Challenge on April 27 – the annual boat building competition and race.
Twelve teams competed in the adult race and the Fireflies took top spot, with Kerry Rand, Ray Miron, Bruno Cote and Sawyer Cote splitting the $700 first prize. The team is by now a fixture of the competition and are consistent winners.
Team Iceberg, comprising high-schoolers Al Cook, James and Treven Reid, came in first for the trophy race and won “Best Belly Flop” in the fun race. Students at Pender Harbour Secondary work in advance to build boats.
Gusting winds that swept across the South Coast last Saturday weren’t a problem for the builders or the race but it did flip one of the shelter tents into the air. Nobody was hurt and the tents were removed as a safety precaution.
This year, the competitors were placed in a scenario involving salvaged materials à la Castaway – the film featuring Tom Hanks who, after spending years trapped on a tropical island with his trusty volleyball companion Wilson, builds an escape vessel out of found materials.
Teams were given one hour to contrive their boat designs that could make use of the driftwood, saplings, plastic tubing, string, plastic sheeting and other “salvaged” materials at their disposal. Each team also received a Wilson.
“There were more furrowed brows during the thinking period than usual,” said organizer Jackie Ordronneau, who painted the Wilsons. “They had to take that around with them, they had to stay inflated.”
None of the boats resembled the prototype the organizers had created, and almost all of them floated, with many resembling canoes. “Generally speaking, people have learned that canoes are the best thing, but not everybody believes that,” said Ordronneau. “We always think there’s one way to do it, and we’re always completely wrong.”
The event is meant to build community but also draws off-Coast competitors, including a team from Delta and another from West Vancouver.
Younger children had a chance to fashion their own toy boats, a popular activity for the under-10 set. “Those kids don’t even stop for the races. We were taking everything down and they were still hammering on them!” Ordronneau said.
Organizers encourage people to take the boats with them once the day is done and any leftovers are recycled.
