Building Boats and Community

Remember building forts out of old cardboard boxes when you were a kid? The first dorm Olympic activity of the year was kind of like that, only this time the challenge was to build a boat—one that could float long enough to navigate a short course on the shores of Canaan Street Lake in the sixth annual Cardigan Cardboard Boat Regatta.

The challenge was given to students early in the week, and each night time was set aside for the boys to work with their roommates and dormmates to come up with a design and build the ultimate floating machine. Each dorm was given one roll of packing tape, and while the students had to supply the cardboard themselves, they could use as much as they wanted.

See more photos of Cardigan's Boat Regatta

By Wednesday each dorm proudly carried their creations to the waterfront. From long canoe-style boats to simple paddle boards, it was clear that each dorm worked hard--collaborating on unique designs and bringing those designs to life with lots of cardboard and plenty of tape!

When it came time to test the buoyancy and speed of their vessels, one student from each dorm and that dorm’s leader lined up on the dock, ready to jump into action as soon as Mr. Nevins started each race. Some boats sank immediately; others wavered, floating at first but taking on water at alarming rates. Most boats proved difficult to steer, swinging wildly from left to right with little forward progress. Let’s just say it was a good thing that the sun was shining and the water was still warm enough for swimming! Fortunately, there was also plenty of cheering—for the winners, for the boys who swam more than they paddled, and for the last soggy boat that was pulled from the lake.