At the Cabin: The Second Annual Cardboard Boat Race

Back by popular demand:  the annual cardboard boat race!  This year we divided the crew into three teams:  two teams mixed multi=age children and teenagers, and one team of grown ups.  Grandma Kathy and Papa Richard observed.  Auntie Amy Iowa was the unofficial moderator.  Uncle Don was the duct tape dispenser, since we neglected to get three separate rolls of duct tape.  In fact, at one point we ran out of duct tape and had to make an emergency tape run.  All was well in the end.

Each team received the same number of large cardboard boxes and five heavy duty garbage bags, to make things fair and equal.

Meet Kid Team A:

Despite working through some differences of opinion in design plans, they did a great job!  Check out that boat captain, ready to do some serious paddling!

Meet Kid Team B:  

They were fast and efficient workers with an excellent plan.

Meet Team Grown Up:

They discussed physics and balance and floatation properties, tried a few different layouts and went with a plan to have their paddler lying flat on a long length of plastic covered boxes to dispense the greater weight.  Then, friends, they made a grave mistake.  Those grown ups cheated.  Yes, cheated.  OK, so they claimed that they didn’t hear the instructions about how everyone got exactly the same amount of materials, but it seems a little fishy, doesn’t it?  They walked over to the box of plastic garbage bags and filled additional bags with air for extra floatation.

The moderator noticed, and did not let them off lightly.  (Good job Auntie Amy Texas!) She adamantly declared that they were required to make the heaviest person the paddler in the race because of their transgressions.

Still, those grown ups were pretty sure they were going to do well.  So well, in fact, that I believe that in order to soften their prowess to the children they declared when the race started that they would be an exhibition only, ineligible for first or second prize.  (Yes, there were prizes this year!)

Time for the Race

All three boats were hauled down to the dock in preparation for the race start.

Go!The boats are in!  Hooray!

Predictably, the cardboard masterpieces floated unpredictably with the introduction of passenger weight.  Some tipped forward.  Some tipped to the side.  

Cousin Alex stayed on top of his boat the longest!  Mr. SP was inside his boat, which tipped forward, so he began swimming with his arms, towing the boat forward. 

And the grownups!  The grown ups!  The grown ups were having a bit of trouble.  Uncle Bryan fell right off the boat when it tipped sideways.

He got out of the water, and forgot his paddle in the boat, which was aimlessly floating away.  

Never fear!  Uncle Robert snatched it back with a random fishing pole.  

Time for a Second Try!

Uncle Bryan landed, and flipped over immediately.  The grown up boat floated beautifully, but couldn’t seem to carry any weight.

In the end Uncle Bryan hid behind the boat and pretended to paddle across.  (Sneaky grown ups!)  The other boats had already made it to the finishing dock by then.

Mr. SP decided to give the grown up boat a try since it was still floating, but it flipped him off too.

The loud raucous of cheering and  gut splitting laughter undoubtably had all the cabins on our side of the lake wondering what this crazy family was up to.