Annual fun fest at Four Cardboard Boat Regatta: Freedoms hits the water Saturday
Cardboard boats of all shapes, sizes and descriptions take to the waters of Bimini Basin at Four Freedoms Park on Saturday to participate in the annual Cardboard Boat Regatta.
Participants construct their entries from the practical design and stretching to the absurd, using tape, paint and adhesives hoping it will stay afloat long enough to win one of about 15 races covering a distance of about 100 yards.
“It’s just the uniqueness of the event,” said event coordinator Tim Hauck. “It’s a great team building exercise because you don’t see it much in the community.”
The event runs from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. with the actual races starting at 1 p.m. Live music will be provided by LCEC’s homegrown band Killa-Watts, starting at 11 a.m.
As always, admission to the regatta is free and open to the public, but host Rotary Club of Cape Coral asks for monetary donations for parking. All funds go to the Rotary Foundation.
Food and beverages are available for purchase by local merchants and business vendors. Four Freedoms Park is located at 4818 Tarpon Court.
“We will have soda, beer, water and the typical festival food,” said Hauck.
There is no display of entries on Friday this year, but the usual array of awards to include Best Original Design, Best Construction, Best Decorated and Most Whimsical will be awarded by a panel of judges on Saturday.
Hauck said 15 to 20 boats already have signed up to compete for first, second and third place awards in single and multi-paddler age categories, including Most Spectacular Sinking, Best Team Spirit and People’s Choice award. One race category is reserved for boats longer than 18 feet.
“We like to keep it simple,” said Hauck. “It’s a good, fun family event.”
Historically, most of the boat sinkings occur in the final free-for-all race.
For more information, visit the website: www.capecoralregatta.com.