Plywood-and-Duct-Tape Vessels Compete in Wacky ‘Minimal Regatta’
Intrepid “mariners” tried to stay afloat in vessels made of thin plywood and duct tape on May 26, during the Schooner Wharf Minimal Regatta in Key West.
The offbeat regatta is a Memorial Day weekend tradition in the Florida Keys.
Rules of the event, now in its 33rd year, required each team to build a boat out of a single sheet of 4-by-8-foot plywood, two 8-foot-long 2-by-4s, a 60-yard roll of duct tape and a pound of fasteners.
Even caulking the boats was forbidden, though team costumes were encouraged.
As a packed crowd of spectators cheered them on, the boats’ “designated captains” attempted steer the regatta’s short course in the Key West Historic Seaport faster than their rivals — without overturning or sinking.
Standout entries included a miniature pirate ship with a mermaid figurehead and a tiny Titanic replica that quickly capsized.
Prizes were awarded for the fastest boats, most creative designs, best paint jobs, best costumes and sportsmanship — as well as the dreaded “sinker” awards recognizing the least-seaworthy vessel.
A standout entry was a miniature pirate ship with a mermaid figurehead that remained intact. Photos by Florida Keys News Bureau
The tiny Titanic entry quickly capsized in the offbeat regatta, a Memorial Day weekend tradition in the Florida Keys.
Rules of the event required each team to build a boat out of a single sheet of 4-by-8-foot plywood, two 8-foot-long 2-by-4s, a 60-yard roll of duct tape and a pound of fasteners.