Camden Windjammer Festival...Labor Day weekend

Mon, 09/05/2016 - 8:45am

Holly S. Edwards

Team Pesky Pirates, with Capt. Brooklyn Rollins and crewman Michael Rollins, brother and sister from Camden, won first place in Sunday’s Build-a-Boat Race during the annual Camden Windjammer Festival, held Labor Day weekend, Sept. 2-4. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

The Rollins siblings and their boat, Pesky Pirates, before the race. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

At the next Camden Windjammer Festival, organizers plan to provide Build-a-Boat contestants with pre-cut kits to make this boat, which will include an engine. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Team Sinking Turkeys are Colin and Brennan Wright of Camden. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Team Pesky Pirates parade their boat before the audience. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Team Just 4 Fun, Aiden Darling of Yarmouth and Havana Lyman of Camden. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Team Coffin, with siblings Chase and Charlie Laramee of South Windsor, Conn. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Team Spaceman and their Belfast Lion boat were first to sink – before the race began. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Team Sinking Turkeys did not live up to their name, and instead came in second place in the race! (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Capt. Brooklyn Rollins adds the name ‘Pesky Pirates’ to the boat she and her brother, Michael, helped make for this year’s Build-a-Boat competition and race. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Team Coffin is Chase Laramee, right, and his sister, Charlie Laramee, of South Windsor, Conn. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

(Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

From left, Brennan and Colin Wright, co-captains of Team Sinking Turkey.

(Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Next year, the hope is that Build-a-Boat competitors will be given kits to make these boats for a real race around the head of the harbor. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

(Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

The Belfast Lion, also described as a banana. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

From left, Ronin Deschamps and Jonah Lovejoy are Team Spaceman of Northport. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Some last-minute grinding removes the sharp end of a screw from the bottom of one of the boats. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

At the head of Camden Harbor, a cormorant warms up in the morning sun Sunday. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Also at the head of the harbor, a flock of ducks enjoy some food being thrown to them from the wall above. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Build-a-Boat trophies included First, Second and Third place in the race, Best Design, First to Sink and People’s Choice. Another award was also given this year for Best Sink. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Team Pesky Pirate work on their balance and ballast before the start of the Build-a-Boat race. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Team Coffin did not make it far from the start and sank pretty much in place. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Team Sinking Turkeys. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Team Pesky Pirates. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

(Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

And they’re off, with Just 4 Fun at the back of the pack. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Team Coffin sinks a few yards off the starting line and was unable to finish the race, but did win the Best Sink trophy. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Team Pesky Pirates round the first corner. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Smooth sailing for the Pesky Pirates. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Free of their tangle with Just 4 Fun, the Wright boys aboard Sinking Turkeys move onward on the race course. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

(Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Just 4 Fun also begins to make their way toward the third corner. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

(Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Après race jumps into the harbor! (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

The judges concur... (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

...and the judges disagree. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Team Belfast Lions/Spaceman limps toward the finish line. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Team Belfast Lions/Spaceman: Jonah Lovejoy and Ronin Deschamps. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Team Just 4 Fun: Aiden Darling and Havana Lyman. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Team Sinking Turkeys: Colin and Brennan Wright. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Team Pesky Pirates: Michael and Brooklyn Rollins. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Team Coffin: Charlie and Chase Laramee. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

The Rollins siblings and their boat, Pesky Pirates, before the race. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

At the next Camden Windjammer Festival, organizers plan to provide Build-a-Boat contestants with pre-cut kits to make this boat, which will include an engine. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Team Sinking Turkeys are Colin and Brennan Wright of Camden. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Team Pesky Pirates parade their boat before the audience. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Team Just 4 Fun, Aiden Darling of Yarmouth and Havana Lyman of Camden. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Team Coffin, with siblings Chase and Charlie Laramee of South Windsor, Conn. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Team Spaceman and their Belfast Lion boat were first to sink – before the race began. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Team Sinking Turkeys did not live up to their name, and instead came in second place in the race! (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Capt. Brooklyn Rollins adds the name ‘Pesky Pirates’ to the boat she and her brother, Michael, helped make for this year’s Build-a-Boat competition and race. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Team Coffin is Chase Laramee, right, and his sister, Charlie Laramee, of South Windsor, Conn. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

(Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

From left, Brennan and Colin Wright, co-captains of Team Sinking Turkey.

(Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Next year, the hope is that Build-a-Boat competitors will be given kits to make these boats for a real race around the head of the harbor. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

(Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

The Belfast Lion, also described as a banana. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

From left, Ronin Deschamps and Jonah Lovejoy are Team Spaceman of Northport. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Some last-minute grinding removes the sharp end of a screw from the bottom of one of the boats. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

At the head of Camden Harbor, a cormorant warms up in the morning sun Sunday. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Also at the head of the harbor, a flock of ducks enjoy some food being thrown to them from the wall above. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Team Pesky Pirate work on their balance and ballast before the start of the Build-a-Boat race. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Team Coffin did not make it far from the start and sank pretty much in place. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Team Sinking Turkeys. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Team Pesky Pirates. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

(Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

And they’re off, with Just 4 Fun at the back of the pack. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Team Coffin sinks a few yards off the starting line and was unable to finish the race, but did win the Best Sink trophy. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Team Pesky Pirates round the first corner. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Smooth sailing for the Pesky Pirates. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Free of their tangle with Just 4 Fun, the Wright boys aboard Sinking Turkeys move onward on the race course. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

(Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Just 4 Fun also begins to make their way toward the third corner. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

(Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Après race jumps into the harbor! (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

The judges concur... (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

...and the judges disagree. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Team Belfast Lions/Spaceman limps toward the finish line. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Team Belfast Lions/Spaceman: Jonah Lovejoy and Ronin Deschamps. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Team Just 4 Fun: Aiden Darling and Havana Lyman. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Team Sinking Turkeys: Colin and Brennan Wright. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Team Pesky Pirates: Michael and Brooklyn Rollins. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

Team Coffin: Charlie and Chase Laramee. (Photo by Holly S. Edwards)

CAMDEN — They came, they built, they climbed into their watercraft and they paddled a few or more strokes. Four of the five handmade boats made it the full way around the Build-a-Boat race course, including the entry that was pulled through the water by its swimming captain and crew.

Sunday was another bright, sunny, warm day for the third and final day of the annual Camden Windjammer Festival, and it was a great day of sportsmanship and racing for the Build-a-Boat kids and their families.

Five teams entered the competition, which began Saturday, Sept. 3, when designing and building began under a series of tents on the public landing. The teams had the day to finish their construction, and then could take their boats home for painting and more gluing to try and keep out leaks.

Arriving back on the landing late Sunday morning, some boats need a little final work, including boat names added in Sharpie marker and the grinding off of sharp points.

Then it was time to parade the boats before the grandstand, where spectators were waiting to cheer on the boats as they raced around the dinghy docks at the head of the harbor.

In the end, Team Belfast Lion/Spaceman sunk as soon as it hit the water and it’s crew climbed aboard. But they climbed back out onto the dock, poured out the seawater and waited for the signal to go. Also sinking at the start was the boat and crew of Coffin.

Very quickly, the Pesky Pirates, dashed ahead of the others, with the Sinking Turkeys in twisted pursuit. Twisted, because the brothers paddling kept spinning their boat around every once in a while, as they attempted to figure out how to sync their strength and excitement.

Running close with the Turkeys was Just 4 Fun, with both boats getting tangled up near the schooner Mary Day at the midway point of the course, before the Turkeys spun around and paddled out of the fray backwards for a time. They eventually righted themselves around the third corner and pulled hard for the finish line behind Pesky Pirates.

Just 4 Fun did not give up and made it to the finish line, as did the Belfast Lions/Spaceman team, with its crew pulling the waterlogged boat sideways through the water as they swam the entire course, with the boat, to the finish line.

Final results:

First: Pesky Pirates (Brooklyn and Michael Rollins, Camden)
Second: Sinking Turkeys (Colin and Brennan Wright, Camden)
Third: Just 4 Fun (Aiden Darling of Yarmouth and Havana Lyman of Camden)
First to Sink: Belfast Lions/Spaceman (Jonah Lovejoy and Ronin Deschamps of Northport)
People’s Choice: Belfast Lions/Spaceman
Best Sink: Coffin (Chase and Charlie Laramee of South Windsor, Conn.)
Best Design: Just 4 Fun