Snug Harbor’s entry this year was a tattooed swan boat called the “Tunnel of Tough Love.” (Photos by Lauren Thomas)
Despite the heavy rain, the 62nd New Paltz Regatta was held last Sunday, May 7 beginning with a parade of competing watercraft trundling on wheels down Plattekill Avenue from the village firehouse to Sojourner Truth Park off Plains Road, from whence they set sail — or sank, depending on how well the crafts were crafted. And for the tenth year running, Regatta 2017 included a fundraising component for Family: the Rubber Duck Race
Live music was performed on the lawn of the Gilded Otter and in front of La Stazione by Yard Sale and Ratboy, Jr. and the kids enjoyed a bouncy house and face-painting by volunteers from the Woodcrest Bruderhof.
Prizes were handed out in the following categories:
The Ice Cream Float and its spirited crew on the Wallkill River
Most Creative
The Ice Cream Float Boat of the Katz Family
(Family of five. First time in the Regatta)
Fastest
The Sono Tex boat
(Seven people. Third year in the Regatta)
Most Theatrical
Forrest Gump (The Jenny Boat)
The Watts Family. Second Place.
(Organizers don’t know how long they have been doing it, but a long time!)
Funniest
Snug Harbor’s Tunnel of Tough Love
(Four people. Tenth year in Regatta!)
Green Boat Award
Save the Bees
(Five kids. Seventh year!)
Best Spirit and Dedication
The Steam Club Boat of Circleville Middle School
(Ten riders. Worked on it all year on Wednesdays. Used green and recycled materials to build)
Best Design
The Leaf Boat by Wallkill Rivershed Alliance
(Two people)
The starting line. In the foreground is the New Paltz Karate Academy crew.
Most Likely to Sink
The New Paltz Karate School
(Five riders)
Best In show
Noah’s Arc of the Takacs Family
(live animals — goats, rabbits, chickens)
The crew of the whimsical Octopus’ Garden created a playful atmosphere with their bubble machine
All you Have is Love Award
Octopus’s Garden of the Hasbrouck Family
(15-year anniversary, five riders)
It was a challenge to set the homemade crafts afloat down through the muddy bank at Sojourner Truth Park. Despite a few minor spills and some muddy clothes, all were set afloat successfully.