Jayden Daughtery participated in the Crazy Craft race with an older raft his uncle, John Buness, had built when he was younger.
Toni Marie Oliver rowing in the Crazy Craft Race with her homemade raft, "The Soggybottom Boat."
Clara and Verity Waddington, and Addy Andrews before the start of last week's Crazy Craft Race. Their raft was made of styrofoam, duct tape, and spray paint. Not pictured are members of the raft's crew Natalie Smith and Lyndsey Goldring.
The Fourth of July Crazy Craft races took place last
Sunday afternoon at City Dock. The races were divided into two categories,
children and adult, and took place on the dock's summer float. The rules for the races were fairly simple: All participants had to wear a flotation device, and they could use anything that floated except for boats. Starting on one end of the float, the participants raced to the other end of the float and back, paddling whatever device they had created for the event.
Some of the "crazy crafts" used in the race were simple, like air mattresses. Others were more straightforward like flat boards of plywood and styrofoam lashed together. Two kids, Jackson Powers and Dayne Richard, entered the competition with two
plastic buckets that were duct taped together. Jayden Daughtery competed with a raft that his uncle, John Buness,
had competed with when he was younger. Toni Marie Oliver entered the adult half of the race with a homemade, purple raft named
"The Soggybottom boat." Another unique raft at the competition was a large catamaran-looking raft made out of styrofoam, tape, and spray painted red, white, and blue.
There were eight rafts in the kid's race, which kicked
off a little after 1 p.m. First place went to Bella Ritchie, paddling a blue air mattress. Second place went to
Racie Richard and Rachel Cearney, paddling another air mattress. Daughtery took third place with his family
raft. Fourth place went to the large raft paddled by Clara Waddington, Verity
Waddington, Addy Andrews, Natalie Smith, and Lyndsey Goldring.
The adult race had five crafts entered. Buness took first place using his old raft. After him came Leslie Richard and Bonnie Ritchie in second and third place, paddling air mattresses. Oliver and her "Soggybottom Boat" took fourth place.
After the adult race concluded, that was the end of the official races. However, there were plenty of people who gathered around City Dock to watch the race who also wanted in on the action, so impromptu races continued for some time after.
Reader Comments(0)