Keweenaw Now: Hancock takes second consecutive Cardboard Boat Regatta victory

By Michele and Gustavo Bourdieu

Boy Scouts of Houghton Troop 208 clash with crew members of the City of Hancock boat during the final heat of the 2008 Cardboard Boat Regatta on June 15 during Bridgefest. (Photo © 2008 Gustavo Bourdieu)

HOUGHTON -- The City of Hancock won first place in the (age) 12-and-over division of the Pirates of the Keweenaw Cardboard Boat Regatta, defeating the Houghton Boy Scout Troop 208, second place, and their rival City of Houghton, third place, during Bridgefest on Sunday, June 15.

"We defended our title," said Hancock City Manager Glenn Anderson of the second victory in a row for the City's boat, which defeated the Smart Park in the 2007 Regatta.

Asked why the Smart Park sailors didn't show up to challenge the City again, Anderson replied, "They got dumb this year."*

The Boy Scouts gave both cities a run for the money in three heats of the race, improving their skills in negotiating the buoys each time.

Boy Scouts of Houghton Troop 208 line up with their boat, Ducky Slayer, before the first heat of the 2008 Pirates of Keweenaw Cardboard Boat Regatta. (Photo © 2008 Gustavo Bourdieu)

Thunder and lightning on Sunday morning caused just a slight delay in the start of the races. Fortunately, the weather cleared up shortly after 10 a.m. A good-size crowd of fans cheered their favorites at Houghton Beach on the Portage Lake Ship Canal.

The younger, under-12, competitors began the race with one- and two-person boats. Elo Wittig of Chassell, whose Dad, Robert Wittig, built his #4 boat out of a refrigerator box, won first place paddling solo against Zakris Sotirin-Miller.** Zakris built his boat with the help of Peter Rowe (who did not compete in the race) in the ACE (Athletic Conditioning and Exercise) program at Keweenaw Memorial Fitness Center in Houghton.

Before the race, Zakris Sotirin-Miller poses with his boat, built with the help of Peter Rowe, in the ACE (Athletic Conditioning and Exercise) program at the Keweenaw Memorial Fitness Center in Houghton. (Photo © 2008 Michele Bourdieu)

Emily Johnson, fitness coordinator at the Center, said the program runs five days a week after school and is designed especially for middle- and high school students not involved in other sports.

"We get them interested in different sports -- outdoor and indoor," Johnson said.

The sports include biking and a mini-triathlon of rowing, biking and running, she added.

"We chose the Boat Regatta because it's a team-building activity and a lot of fun for the kids," Johnson noted.

Zakris Sotirin-Miller, in boat in foreground, and Elo Wittig set out for one of the first races for younger competitors as Houghton City Manager Scott MacInnes, one of the organizers of the event, supervises. (Photo © 2008 Michele Bourdieu)

Patti Sotirin said the experience of building the boat in the ACE program was great for her son, Zakris.

"It really built self-confidence for Zakris," Sotirin said.

Elo Wittig paddles his cardboard kayak, Deep Six, to victory. (Photo © 2008 Michele Bourdieu)

Zakris was still smiling when his boat overturned. Maybe half the fun is getting wet.

"Well, it didn't sink," his Mom, Patti, noted. "It just tipped over."

Another boat in the competition for younger sailors was the SS Ship, which one the prize for best-decorated boat, with its colorful pirate crew, Brian Milligan and Adam Drelich, both of Houghton.

Pirates Brian Milligan and Adam Drelich round a buoy during the first heat of the competition for younger sailors. Their creation, the SS Ship, won an award for best-decorated boat and came in second in their division. A safety monitor, right, is close at hand -- just in case. (Photo © 2008 Michele Bourdieu)

"We did it all by ourselves," Brian said of building the prize-winning boat, which also came in second in its division.

How many sailors are in this little blue boat? They must be vying for the prize of "best sinking." The Coast Guard and race monitor are checking them out. (Photo © 2008 Gustavo Bourdieu)

In the over-12 division, after three crowd-pleasing heats around the buoys, Hancock finally claimed victory over the Boy Scouts and the City of Houghton. Here are some highlights:

Hancock, left, Houghton, center, and Houghton Boy Scout Troop 208 set out for one of the championship heats. (Photo © 2008 Gustavo Bourdieu)

Bob Emmert, Boy Scout Troop 208 scoutmaster, and Leonard Bohmann, assistant scoutmaster, were on hand to assist the scouts with launching the boat. Bohmann said the scouts' boat, Ducky Slayer, was built mostly in one week.

"We had to wait until school was out," Bohmann noted.

Heading for a buoy, the Boy Scouts' boat, Ducky Slayer, chases Hancock's boat, Re-Loaded. The Portage Lift Bridge, namesake for the annual Bridgefest celebration, is in the background. (Photo © 2008 Michele Bourdieu)

The late Bill Blumhardt, former Houghton city councilor, designed and helped build the City of Houghton boat, "DC Love VII." On the side of the boat is written, "Design by and in memory of Bill Blumhardt." (Photo © 2008 Michele Bourdieu)

The competition is fierce as both the City of Houghton and Boy Scout Troop 208 attempt to take away the City of Hancock's 2007 championship in the first of three heats. In this video, spectators comment on the buoys as obstacles for the challengers. (Video clip © 2008 Gustavo Bourdieu)

This video clip shows some of the final heat of the race, and the victory of the City of Hancock's Re-Loaded, a boat built with the help of the Houghton crew in 2007.* (Video clip © 2008 Michele Bourdieu)

Editor's Notes: * See Keweenaw Now's photo essay of the 2007 Cardboard Boat Regatta on our archived Web site. You'll find some of the same competitiors. Track their progress!
** The Wittigs also competed last year, but their boat design has improved.
To learn more about Bridgefest, check out their Web site.