by Erika Brown
A throng of eager spectators braved cold and “spitty” rains on Sunday for the 15th Annual Cardboard Boat Regatta behind Town Hall to cheer on home-made cardboard racing boats with names like the “SS Gnarwhal,” “Kiss My Grass,” and “Tipsy.”
In the end, “Die Wurst” (Adrian Argento and Taylor Hwong) took First Place who finished in 46.52 seconds. Second and third place went to father-daughter Akshay Patel (“Cocktail,” 51.83) and Aashika Patel (“Mocktail,” 54.04). The Patels are regatta veterans, and Akshay is a highly competitive, consistent top performer. This year, he learned his daughter, herself a veteran racer and now a teenager, is just as tough. Aashika’s time this year made her 3rd place overall as well as 1st place in the youth category. Brian Sollosy won the “Catastrophe” award (a.k.a., “the big sinker”) as he gallantly swam his rig most of the way in sub-optimal waters.
The Hofeldt family (Bob, Kim, and Summer) and the rest of the Float or Die team that organizes this race every year rose to new heights of success.
Kim’s reported highlights this year included the MBTS Fire Dept.’s rivalry with the Police Dept.; Evan Olsen’s boat, “Float or First Die Float” and its superhero-like engineering that enabled it to compete four years in a row (!); and Becci Sollosy winning Best Design and “Crowd Favorite.” (“Bluey” and the Fire Dept. came in a close second.)
In the end, here are the results:
- First Place: Die Wurst, Adrian Argento and Taylor
- Second Place: Coctail, Akshay Patel
- First Place/Kids: Mocktail, Aashika Patel
Sea Crizza, Becci Sollosy, 2 min 8.22 seconds - Winner Best Design
Captain and Toe Nail, Brian Sollosy, DNF ("Did Not Float") and Winner of the Catastrophe
- 4th Float or First Die, Evan Olsen, 54.90 seconds
- The New Black, Chris Langathianos, 57.44 seconds
- Glug Glug Gondola, James McKenna, 58.57 seconds
- Whitey, David Rowse, 1 min 13.18 seconds
- Bluey, Leslie Smith Denman, 1 min 14.2 seconds
- Doritos, Erica Harrison, 1 minute 15.18 seconds
- Gulls Gone WIld, Luis and Julia, 1 minute 18.07 seconds
- SS Gnarwhal, Kristen Augulewicz, 1 min 27.33 seconds
- SS Lemon, Captain Murph, 1 min 30.79 seconds
- Wilson, Mindy Stewart, 1 min 41. 43 seconds
- Kiss My Grass, Bernie Romanowski, 1 min 43.30 seconds
- 2nd Alarm, Jake McNeilly MBTS Fire Department, 1 min 43.8 seconds
- Lil Boat 113, Mara Coleman, 1 min 47.06 seconds
- Cardboard Voyage, Henry and Arthur Johnson, 1 min 59.88 seconds
- SS Pink Pony, Monica Murphy, 2 minutes 3.55 seconds
- Tipsy, Kim Hofeldt, 2 min 7.49 seconds
- SS Floatie McFloat Float, Summer Hofeldt, 2 min 12.12 seconds
- Stingray, Jack Raisides, 2 min 27.66 seconds
- Orca, Sean Mullins MBTS Police Department, 2 min 29.60
- Mo Mo Jet, Leah Baker, 2 min 43.97 seconds
- SS Kick Flip, Sam Raisides and Matty, 2 min 46.32 seconds
The other "DNF" boats:
- SS Sinky McSink Sink, Jelani Alfono, DNF
- Baby Steps, Bob Hofeldt, DNF
- Belefonte, Jamie Matthison, DNF
