Camden Windjammer Festival...Labor Day weekend

Pesky Pirates win Sunday’s Build-a-Boat race in Camden Harbor

Mon, 09/05/2016 - 8:45am

CAMDEN — They came, they built, they climbed into their watercraft and they paddled a few or more strokes. Four of the five handmade boats made it the full way around the Build-a-Boat race course, including the entry that was pulled through the water by its swimming captain and crew.

Sunday was another bright, sunny, warm day for the third and final day of the annual Camden Windjammer Festival, and it was a great day of sportsmanship and racing for the Build-a-Boat kids and their families.

Five teams entered the competition, which began Saturday, Sept. 3, when designing and building began under a series of tents on the public landing. The teams had the day to finish their construction, and then could take their boats home for painting and more gluing to try and keep out leaks.

Arriving back on the landing late Sunday morning, some boats need a little final work, including boat names added in Sharpie marker and the grinding off of sharp points.

Then it was time to parade the boats before the grandstand, where spectators were waiting to cheer on the boats as they raced around the dinghy docks at the head of the harbor.

In the end, Team Belfast Lion/Spaceman sunk as soon as it hit the water and it’s crew climbed aboard. But they climbed back out onto the dock, poured out the seawater and waited for the signal to go. Also sinking at the start was the boat and crew of Coffin.

Very quickly, the Pesky Pirates, dashed ahead of the others, with the Sinking Turkeys in twisted pursuit. Twisted, because the brothers paddling kept spinning their boat around every once in a while, as they attempted to figure out how to sync their strength and excitement.

Running close with the Turkeys was Just 4 Fun, with both boats getting tangled up near the schooner Mary Day at the midway point of the course, before the Turkeys spun around and paddled out of the fray backwards for a time. They eventually righted themselves around the third corner and pulled hard for the finish line behind Pesky Pirates.

Just 4 Fun did not give up and made it to the finish line, as did the Belfast Lions/Spaceman team, with its crew pulling the waterlogged boat sideways through the water as they swam the entire course, with the boat, to the finish line.

Final results:

First: Pesky Pirates (Brooklyn and Michael Rollins, Camden)
Second: Sinking Turkeys (Colin and Brennan Wright, Camden)
Third: Just 4 Fun (Aiden Darling of Yarmouth and Havana Lyman of Camden)
First to Sink: Belfast Lions/Spaceman (Jonah Lovejoy and Ronin Deschamps of Northport)
People’s Choice: Belfast Lions/Spaceman
Best Sink: Coffin (Chase and Charlie Laramee of South Windsor, Conn.)
Best Design: Just 4 Fun


Reach Editorial Director Holly S. Edwards at hollyedwards@penbaypilot.com and 207-706-6655.