Boat races in absentia

Every year since I was small my family has celebrated labor day in the north woods of Michigan with friends, food, costumes and boat races. Now these aren't your usual kind of boat races. These races have been running fifty plus years and the boats are small and made on site. Folks come from all up and down the river with entrant numbers sometimes reaching ninety. I have only ever missed three years since we began going and this year was one of them. Admittedly I was somewhat disappointed but decided to make the best of the situation. We invited some of our local friends to the the park for our own boat race. The only rule was that the boats had to be made of things we found in the woods so that they could break down in the river if we couldn't catch them.

On the search for good boat building supplies

Boat building in action

The launch!

Only one boat (that we know of) crossed the finish line. Yep is was a river wrought with peril for homemade boats. But boy did we have fun. What a day, what a day. Thanks to the friends who joined us and thanks to the river for being so obliging (even if you did eat our boats).