Photo essay, Cardboard Boat Race



	Merrimack Library Cardboard Boat Race! Short photo essay of the 1999 Merrimack Library Cardboard boat Race.. Last update: 13-February-2000
	1999 brought with it new adventures in cardboard creations for the annual Cardboard Boat race in Merrimack, New Hampshire. What follows is a short photo tour of many of the boat entries, people and races that filled the day with laughter, enthusiasm and wonderful competition! I encourage all Merrimack residents to participate in this event, even if just to cheer the crews on to exciting victories and even more exciting sinkings, and to support your library! For those of you outside of Merrimack, see if your town offers such an event and if not, think about starting a Cardboard Boat race of your own, to benefit some worthwhile organization or committee in your town. You'll be glad you did! For those of you who were involved in our 1999 event, please look through these photos and provide me with any additional information about the photographs, events and people you see. Details of who the crews were, who built/designed the boats and any other interesting details that you feel would make this album more enjoyable. Email this information to me at jflis@hotmail.com and I will include it here. I don't provide as much detail as I would normally, but it's been a while since the event. So, your help in filling in the blanks will be a great help! Also, if you were involved in this event and wish a higher resolution copy of any photo, drop me a note as I have all of these pictures available in higher resolution. You will notice that many of the photographs are rather dark. That was the nature of the day which included bright sun and dark, contrasting shadows under the trees. I had a great time meeting new people and old friends alike. I'm very proud of my creation and excited to show it off, especially in the water! I hope you enjoy this simple album and look forward to seeing many more people join us in 2000!
	Boats on display: Jim Flis' canoe entry #25 (Big Red) (That's my daughter Jen reading the paper) The Luhr's Log, entry #31 with a lost seagull perched on top, reading a map... Close-up of the misbegotten seagull... Ariel, entry #42 Entry #35 (help! I don't know the name or owner of this creation!) A clever pontoon boat, entry #34 Race Car, entry #43 The Chattanooga Choo-Choo engine Chattanooga Choo-Choo in its entirety Camouflaged boat, entry #36 The X-Wing Fighter, #39 #26, NYC Garbage Barge with Skyline Twin Engine Seaplane, #33 Telephone Booth Corporate Entry (HELP! I need the name/company that built this rock-solid entry!) Red Dragon, #24 Two Rubber Ducky's... Shark Attack with crew! Indian Canoe (HELP! what is the name of this canoe?) with its Indian Warrior crew Fairy Tales, #38.
	People who made this happen, from organizers to participants: Jimmy Flis marvels at the variety of boats Jennifer Flis reads her newspaper alongside the Luhrs Log Bruce Luhrs checking the Peoples Choice buckets. (Attendees would vote on their favorite boat with cash donations in the appropriate bucket.) A couple of attendees check out the display of prize trophies. (HELP! Does anyone know the names of these two people?) The many concessions and interested customers... Captain Nemo? of Shark Attack (ya gotta LOVE that headpiece!) Merrimack Fire & Rescue on duty helping to keep us all safe and sound! Our Judges discuss the NYC barge entry Our own little Ginny Miller (Doug & Diane) shows her support for Jim Flis with a canoe/#25 face painting! THANK YOU! Jim pads the People Choice Awards bucket #25... ...didn't help... LOL James Miller on the beach with his winning Sand Castle entry! CONGRATULATIONS! Jim and Carol Rivard enjoy a laugh (probably at Jim's expense...! LOL)
	And They're Off! I believe this race is between the Red Dragon and #35... not sure... The wreckage of #35 is floated to shore.... the water is not kind to cardboard... The camouflage boat (#36) with its crew of 4 sets off Fairy Tales paddles to the finish line! Shark Attack, with a crew of 8, roars past the crowd Camo boat, with crew, get rescued by the Marine patrol Pontoon boat, with crew of 4 rushes to the finish line. Only one pontoon of this boat made it to the second race... Tenacity, thy name is Children! These wayward boaters seem to be out for a summer swim. Nope! They are still rowing and navigating their boat. It just so happens that their boat is beneath the surface. No problem, as they are still in their submerged boat and still rowing. They reached the finish line, allowing them to qualify and even won a prize! Here they are passing the cheering crowd and approaching the finish line (no speed records here!) The Chattanooga Choo-Choo's crew boards her at the dock, hoping for a rousing run of the course! expectation are high all around! WHOOPS! The Chattanooga Choo-Choo caboose flips over and begins to sink, as the engine does an about-face ! But the crew doesn't panic... ...yet... NOW the crew panics.... as the Chattanooga Choo-Choo engine flips over also and proceeds to sink. With two-thirds of her crew deep-sixed, the remaining two members cut their losses AND their sinking components and finish the race as the Chattanooga Dinner-Car...
	Big Red runs the course: (Hey, if it sounds like I'm paying special attention to my entry, it's 'cuz I am... S The privilege of owning this site S) Jim and Big Red in its first run, against the Indian canoe. What a pairing! who would have expected TWO canoes this year? Jim pulls out to an early lead. Coming around the outer turn, he heads for the finish Crossing the finish line, Jim passes out beyond the end of the dock so that he can maintain full speed until passing the finish line. The Merrimack Cup Race begins with the First Place winners from all of the other races. This run includes the Luhr's Log, Big Red and the Corporate entry. In their original runs, Big Red marked a time just 2.45 seconds ahead of the corporate entry, one of the closest pairings in this event's short history Jim, off to a very good start, gets and stays way ahead of the other boats as he paddles to the outer turn. Rounding the outer turn, Jim passes the earlier race participants still paddling their sunken boat. This picture clearly shows the wide lead Jim has over the Corporate entrant. Big Red is showing severe stress as Jim pushes her to the limit trying to beat his earlier time. Jim reacts to a well fought win. In the background, you can just see the Luhr's Log having rounded the outer turn. Big Red bested the Corporate entry by more than a minute in this final run of the day!
	Jim Flis and Big Red took the Merrimack Cup that day, earning him a name on the plaque at the Library. Final race results are located on the Merrimack Public Library Cardboard Boat Final Results page.


	(Return to my Canoeing page) Check out the construction details of Big Red
	Copyright, �1998, James M. Flis