Hundreds line Peconic River for Riverhead's annual Cardboard Boat Race

Before the horn sounded on the first race of the day, several young sailors dipped into the Peconic River on Saturday morning. Their cardboard boats instantly capsized.

“An SOS right at the dock!” yelled out Mark “MK” McLaughlin, the master of ceremonies for the annual Cardboard Boat Race in downtown Riverhead.

The sailors soon corrected themselves and the racing began as hundreds cheered along the boardwalk under a bright sun. The Riverhead Business Improvement District and Riverhead Chamber of Commerce host the family-friendly event where competitors race in boats made of two simple materials: cardboard and duct tape.

From there, the possibilities are endless.

“The creativity is off the charts,” said Liz O’Shaughnessy, the chamber’s executive director. 

Janelle Jones, of Center Moriches, said it was a family effort to construct their two boats: a duck and sea dragon.

“We love it because it represents Long Island,” she said of the duck.

Jones’ niece, Kirra Gerbino, 10, raced in the duck after winning tickets to the Long Island Aquarium in the hula hoop contest. 

Anna O’Connor of the party group Team Fun Entertainment helped lead the hula hoop contest and dazzled the crowd onstage with her own tricks before the fun on the water began.

She said she looks forward to the cardboard boat race each year.

“It’s so cool to see what they’re going to make,” she said. 

The youngest sailors kicked off the racing in the Youth Regatta for kids 12 and under.

The four-person crew of Rodney Parrish, 12; Freddie Boese, 11; Connor Schumejda, 10; and Henry Boese, 9, prevailed aboard the Salty Sea Dogs 2.0.

Jen Boese, of Riverhead, whose two sons were on the boat, said the boys replicated their winning design from a year ago.

“They wanted the same exact design,” she said, noting the “2.0” in the boat’s name.

The boys summed up the experience on the water in one word, yelling in unison: “Fun!”

The final race, known as the Outlaw, provided a second chance for any boat still upright to race again. A total of 14 boats filled the dock before the four-person team wearing Batman masks and T-shirts raced around the buoy and back to the dock first aboard their vessel.

Tyler Luby, 22, of Riverhead, crammed for six hours Friday night to assemble a small, single-person boat. He also wore a banana costume to add some extra flair.

It may not have been the most efficient choice on a scorching summer afternoon.

“I’m boiling,” he admitted.

He cooled off soon after when he tried to lower himself into the boat for the Grand Regatta. The boat immediately tipped and capsized. Luby climbed back onto the dock, righted the boat and assessed his chances.

As the horn sounded, and the boat began to drift, he dove belly first into the water, crashing on top of the doomed vessel.

By Joe Werkmeister

joe.werkmeister@newsday.com

Joe Werkmeister covers the towns of Southampton, East Hampton and Shelter Island. He is a graduate of St. Bonaventure University and previously worked as the editor of two North Fork community newspapers.

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