Another
year has passed and once again one of the most enjoyable afternoons of the
summer was spent at The Pub viewing the 13th Sinking
Dinghy…Race. Put on by Pub owner Bonnie Gneiser
and sponsored by Budweiser, the afternoon drew several hundred spectators
reveling in the fact that they could spend a hot Sunday afternoon enjoying such
a festive time. Conch Charters again volunteered to run the Sinking Dinghy
portion with Yvonne Remington as scorekeeper and “King” Greenspon as the MC & registrar. When I arrived at
12:30 there were few entries – not to worry – within an hour some 20+
separate participants were trying their best to row from the dock, around a red
marker and back to shore in a dinghy that was literally sinking (due to a hole
in her stern). Everyone was overboard – frolicking and generally having a great
time. However, in my humble opinion, the award of the day goes to Fay Stiler’s dog Scoot who, with much bravery and
bravado, managed to keep afloat among five intense paddlers who ended up
swamping the dinghy, overturning it and swimming ashore. Scoot is a very small
dog and we were all worried about him. Never mind the rowers – we knew
they could manage. Scoot must have invented the dog paddle as he swam to shore,
with some help from Fay, right along with his team.
One of the joys of the week
preceding the event was observing the daily progress of “Clucky” as
an entry from E & S Yacht Maintenance in Nanny Cay. The brainchild of Eric Groenenberg, his wife Sheryl, along with friends Huw, Shannon and Mark Peters, this non-boat was brilliantly
conceived. Adorned with a paddlewheel that was hand cranked, the concept was
good for everything but speed. After watching daily progress on the building,
including painted names by the side of where each paddler
sat, it was disappointing to discover that feet were used because the wheel
would not go fast enough. What a great try, though – especially as the
lady co-captains fell overboard when their lawn chairs capsized.
The big winner was Colin Rathbun, winning both the single rowing division of the
Sinking Dinghy Race and the Frozen T-Shirt competition. What a guy! High
spirited and well-built, Colin paddled around the red marker with fierce
determination and managed to row the course in a fast 1 minute and 23 seconds.
He was followed by 20+ other entries with Nicholas Kalechess
coming in 2nd and Kumba Martin in 3rd.
The crew of “Booty
Bounty” came over from St. John,
USVI, to compete and had as much fun as anyone there. They were dressed to the
nines, as the pictures reveal, and really made a day of it. It was also good to
see computer guru Richard Bibby out there with his
fearless son, Jamie. This clever lad paddled his way to first in the Junior
Division in a bathtub with legs on it. What a sight – he just fit –
I think next year he will have grown too much to enter in the Big Bad Tub.
Jamie also won the Junior Division of the Frozen T-Shirt contest showing that
“necessity is the mother of invention.” He banged his T-shirt
against the cement pier until it opened. This is much more difficult than it
appears. Congratulations to all of our winners. We completely enjoyed the
afternoon and once again thank Bonnie and all of the local merchants that
donated prizes for an afternoon of fun – the old fashioned way!
SIDEBAR
Sinking
Dinghy Race – single rowers
1st
– Colin Rathbun 1:23
2nd
– Nicholas Kalechess
1:37
3rd
– Kumba Martin
1:45
Sinking
Dinghy Race – double rowers and over
1st
– Craig Heatherinton & Jason Holt 1:26
2nd
– Richard Bibby & Kumba
Martin 1:47
3rd
– Mitch Kent, Pierce Helms & O’Dell 2:19
Best
Woman Rower – Emma Paull
Anything
That Floats But a Boat Race – Adults
1st
– Monkeys on a Barrel – Joel Van Der Schyff (captain), Jason Campbell, Jason Holt & George Scanplons
2nd
– Clucky – Eric & Sheryl Groenenberg
with crew
Anything
That Floats But a Boat Race – Juniors
1st
– Big Bad Tub – Jamie Bibby in a bathtub
2nd
– Rite Way
Frozen
T-Shirt Race – Adults
1st
– Colin Rathbun
2nd
– Dave Henry
Frozen
T-Shirt Race – Juniors
1st
– Jamie Bibby
2nd
– Mo Greenspon
Most
Imaginative Craft – Clucky
Most
Imaginative Costume – Booty Bounty