Captain your own cardboard boat on the Nanticoke on Aug. 4 in Blades

The News Journal

Can't afford a boat? It's cheaper than you think, if you don't mind lowering your standards a bit. Well, maybe a lot.

Alex Stroup, of Seaford, has that sinking feeling in his cardboard boat but he hung on to finish the race. The Cardboard Boat Regatta, part of the Reclaim Our River Nanticoke Series, is designed to raise awareness and money to help improve the river.

The fifth annual Recycled Cardboard Boat Regatta will cast off Aug. 4 at the Nanticoke River Public Marine Park in Blades. It's open to anyone who’s willing to build a boat from recycled cardboard and paddle it approximately 200 yards to the regatta finish line, according to the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control.

First-place awards will go to race winners in five different categories: individual, youth, teen, family, and organization or business. Special awards will be given for “Pride of the Fleet,” “Most Whimsical Boat” and “Team Spirit.” Also, spectators will be asked to pick a “People’s Choice” award winner.

A special “Titanic Award” will also be given — the reason for the award is pretty self-explanatory.

Registration fees are $20 per entry before July 28, and $30 per entry from July 29 to Aug. 4. Participants can also register the day of the event. Boats may be any size, shape or design, but must be made of recycled cardboard. Boats should be painted with multiple coats of any one-part polyurethane or enamel paint. Boat decorations may be removed after judging, and prior to the race start.

Sign-in and registration begin at 11 a.m., with judging of boats’ appearances at noon, and races starting at 12:30 p.m.

The event is presented by the town of Blades in conjunction with DNREC’s Division of Watershed Stewardship’s Reclaim Our River Program, Delaware Nature Society’s Abbott’s Mill Nature Center, and the Nanticoke River Sail & Power Squadron.

Participants are encouraged to challenge others to race in the Recycled Cardboard Boat Regatta for one-on-one bragging rights. After all the races are completed, skippers of cardboard boats may challenge another skipper and their boat to a race. Both challengers pay a $15 fee for a challenge race, and challenges can only be issued between cardboard boats entered in the same regatta categories.

The event also includes music, food, and beverages, and opportunities to learn from the Reclaim Our River partnership about how to protect Delaware’s waterways. The ROR-Nanticoke Series is devoted to bringing monthly events, workshops, and recreational activities to the Nanticoke Watershed.

The ROR partnership also welcomes event sponsors, with proceeds going toward event costs, river restoration, and water quality education. Sponsorships begin at $50.

To register for the event, and for rules and other information, visit https://blades.delaware.gov/events/672/5th-annual-recycled-cardboard-boat-regatta/.

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