The Great Salem Maritime Cardboard Boat Regatta

Established in 1938, Salem Maritime National Historic Site was created to preserve Salem’s rich maritime history. In 2023, we boldly added our exploits to that cherished history with the Great Salem Maritime Cardboard Boat Regatta! Salem is known as the home of many great ideas: the American Practical Navigator, the long-distance telephone call, the American novel, The National Guard, the Rumford oven, National Historic Sites, pretty much every boardgame you have ever played.… This is not one of them.

On August 3, 2024, join us as we celebrate the Salem Maritime Festival, a day of boats, music, and free family fun. Starting at 11 AM sharp (the tide waits for no one!), we will kick off a series of heats testing the engineering, ingenuity, determination, and artistry of our participants. Launching from Derby Beach, each cardboard boat must hold at least two people, a Captain and their crew, who will paddle their ship out and around a buoy and back to the beach. Cherished prizes will be awarded in a series of competitive categories. This will obviously be a spectacle long remembered and not to be missed.

 

General Rules

· All participants MUST wear a Coastguard approved Personal Flotation Device (PFD) and appropriate water shoes. No flip flops or similar sandals.

· Participants under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult Captain.

· Boats may only be constructed with corrugated cardboard. Cardboard can be of any thickness, but can not be bonded to any other materials. Pretreated, waxed, or coated cardboard is not permitted.

· Joints and seams can be sealed with duct tape or paper tape. No glues or epoxies may be used. Nails, staples, or any other metal fasteners may not be used in boat construction. The boat may not be “wrapped” or fully covered in plastic, duct tape, or any other materials.

· Any materials such as wood, Styrofoam, metal, plastic, rubber, or anything that might improve flotation or construction are prohibited. No sandbags or similar weighted materials are allowed to provide extra ballast.

· Boats dimensions should be kept within 8 feet in length and 4 feet in width.

· Paddles used to propel the boat do not need to be made of cardboard. We suggest canoe or kayak paddles or oars.

· Decorating of vessels is not only allowed, but encouraged! Boats may be painted with “one-part” paints. Epoxy, fiberglass, tar, glitter, washable paints, or “multi-part” varnishes are not permitted. Paint must be dry before the start of the race.

· Boat construction should not include pointed objects and sharp edges that could cause injury.

· No surfboard or paddleboard style boats are allowed. Crews must be sitting inside the boat during the race.

· The seating compartment of the boat must not be enclosed above shoulder height to allow participants to safely and easily abandon ship in an emergency.

· All boats will be inspected prior to the race by our exacting and omnipotent judges. Use of a probe, metal detector, divining rods, or other devises are expected if our Judges have questions or concerns about a boat’s construction. Teams will be disqualified if a boat is discovered breaking any of the construction rules. All Judges’ decisions are obviously correct and final.

· Races will be divided into heats of five boats at a time with recorded times used to determine the overall winners.

· Contestants are expected to always maintain the dignity and decorum of a yachtsman. No purposeful splashing, ramming, or sabotage of other boats or their crew.

· After the Regatta, all boats must be removed from the beach and harbor. There will be a dumpster on site to aid in the disposal or glorious retirement of celebrated boats.

 

More information, including a registration link for entering the race, will be released soon. Please check back for more details.