Rain gutter Regatta 2015

It is the fall season again, so in the Cub Scout world that means... Rain gutter Regatta! Both kids wanted to race yet again this year, and went with animal themed boats. And once again they did all the work themselves, from sanding, design, paint, and sails.

For the last 2 years, our den only had 2 boys race which meant L was automatically bumped into the top 10 finals. Well this year we have added 2 new boys to our den alone, and they were amazing competition! L was picked to be an example of how to race at the start of the meeting. Our Pack has basically doubled this year, so we have many boys that have never done this before.

And after every leg of the race, the boys are encouraged to show good sportsmanship by shaking hands and congratulating each other on a job well done.

After our den was done, because it is so small compared to many others, we had the siblings race. This is the Pixie race, but brothers or sisters of any age can compete. With such a huge range in ages, it can often be difficult to match up.

D was very excited to come in 2nd place this year, while L came in 4th in his den. He was disappointed of course, but a great sport to the rest of the boys.

We ended the night with snacks, awards, and a den was awarded the spirit stick. The spirit stick was given to the Tiger Cubs for showing amazing sportsmanship. And you can see in this picture the very neat captain's ship wheel that Adam made for the race. It was very cool, and was able to turn and everything!

Rain Gutter Regatta 2014

This is the beginning of our 3rd year in Cub Scouts, and it is time for the Rain Gutter Regatta once again! D even wanted to get in on it this year and made her own boat. Both kids sat down with Adam one day and drew out designs for their boats. Then another day they sat outside and sanded the balsa wood boat parts, and put on the first coat of paint. D decided to base her boat on the Titanic only with bombs on the side. We asked her if she was sure she wanted to base it off of the boat only known for sinking, and she thought it was hilarious. L made his into an eagle themed boat this year. He noticed that the front of it looked a little like a beak and claws. The last day, the kids putting finishing touches on the boat, decorated the sails, and then Adam sprayed them with a clear coat.

The day of the race was here! Luckily just was just a slightly chilly night, and no rain this year, which is always nice. Our tracks are real rain gutters, capped on both ends, filled with water, and 2 set next to each other on a table with 1 table per den. We only have 3 boys in our den this year, so our race went quickly.

Then it was time for the pixie race, this is the race for any of the siblings of the Scouts. Most are little sisters, but we have one little brother that can't wait to be a Scout as well. D and this boy are great friends, and always race against each other. He beat her at the Pinewood Derby, and she beat him in the Regatta race! In fact, D won her race!!!

D was doing such a great job that L decided to start calling her the Unsinkable Molly Brown due to her boat.

L came in 2nd in his den, so he was bumped into the finals. He did a wonderful job in the finals, winning most of his races.

It came down to this race. It was really close, and then he blew to hard, the front of his boat dipped down too far, and the other boy just barely pulled ahead.

He was a very happy kid to get a finalist medal!

D was very happy to get a 1st place ribbon! There is a funny story behind this picture. I had tried to get a nice picture of her with her ribbon and boat, but people kept walking in front of her. It got to the point where we just were laughing about it. One of the dads was watching the whole time, and then did a really funny photo bomb!

Our den getting their ribbons for the den race. These boys were all so proud, excited, and showed amazing sportsmanship!

This is going to be a great year in Scouts, I can just tell!

Here is last year's post!
Rain Gutter Regatta 2013
And check out all the cool stuff we do with Scouts!

2013 Rain Gutter Regatta

We are well underway of our 2nd year of Cub Scouts, and we have learned a few tricks for our second rain gutter regatta. Adam and L took some time looking at pontoon boats on the web and studying the way they are shaped. They then got to work shaping and sanding the wood. L then picked out the color and got to work painting. He insisted it had to have a spider on the sail, and luckily enough, after digging through our sticker bin, found the perfect spider sticker. We also learned that it works best if the sail if hot glued into place. That way it doesn't spin while the boy is blowing on it during the race. (We also learned this year that having the sail the closest to the bottom of the boat causing it not to tip over during the race as well.)

A very happy boy to place 2nd in his den. Last year he was 5th!

He was then able to race in the finals. They took the top 2 from each den. He didn't win any of the top places, but did get a finalist medal.

He was over the moon to have a medal this year!