Port Lincoln
in South Australia has always been the centre
of Tuna fishing in Australia.
Originally Tunarama was a small festival for the Blessing of the Fishing Fleet,
it has grown over 53 years to a big tourist event with a few quirky and unusual events that have survived the years.
One of these is the
Boat Build and Race.
They give you two much
to thin sheets of plywood, two lengths of way to flimsy baton, some wire,
screws, nails, two tubes of glue, a saw, a drill and hammer. Then they give you
and your one helper just two hours to make your own boat. The boat gets to sit
in the sun for a few hours for the glue to nearly dry and then you race…
The result is of course
hilarious.
This year there was a
team from France, a team from the Netherlands, an all girl team, two
father and son teams, a father and daughter team and the usual assortment of
misfits and weirdo's.
Let the madness begin….
One of several Boy/Girlfriend teams. I fully expected a few arguments but sadly they remained well composed.The word EWE means a female sheep, this boat EWES was built by the only all female team. As you can see they ran out of time and the boat floated but would not carry passengers so they swam it out and back. They didnt win but won the hearts of the huge crowd.
Over the coming weeks we will visit the Tuna Toss, Tug of War and the Slippery Pole events. (Im still sore from the laughing...)
7 comments:
In Minneapolis we have a milk carton boat race.
:-)
And, of course, castles made of ice, at this time of year!
Can't get over how gorgeous that water is... I miss the warmth...
Pearl
Love the idea of building a boat, waiting for it to dry then racing it :) Would love to see it in real life
I love this! It looks like so much fun for those who build and those who watch.
We have Dragon Boat Races here in Kelowna. My daughter was in one with her office crew and they won the gold medal!
That looks like fun! To participate and watch.
Hi Pearl, being Australia we have a Beer can Regatta, which is pretty much like a milk carton boat race but with more headaches. In my home town we have a Bottomless boat Race, a boat with no bottom so you hold it and run.... Yeah, our warmth is enviable except the woman I went with ended up with Second Degree Sunburn and is now on Steroids and burn creams for three months... (second degree is like the burns you get from pouring boiling water on yourself, she's got it over half her back, her shoulders and chest)
Hey Joe, every bit of this was fun. Having built a boat myself I know just how hard it would be to do in just two hours.
Hi Belle, There are a few places where Dragon Boats race within a few hundred Km, I haven't seen it myself but it's on my list.
Hi Jen, It was such fun, I hope next year the seas are a bit rougher so most of the boats sink like they usually do.
Looks like Port Lincoln is the place to be! I might try and get down there myself one year, with plenty of sunscreen of course. I do hope your friend will be okay. sunburn is nasty.
Do you remember the milk carton "regattas" that used to be held off the Glenelg jetty? They were hilarious to watch.
Yes River I do remember the old Milkcarton Regatta, there are all sorts of crazy events these days. I think people like the spontaneity and good laughs. My friend was trying to get a tan...twit!
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