The 11th Annual Cardboard Boat Regatta returned to the Bayfront Maritime Center on September 16th, 2023! Hope to see you all back on the bayfront – Save the date for September 14th, 2024!
The Bayfront Maritime Center’s most anticipated event, the Cardboard Boat Regatta, returned after a 3 year break, on Saturday, September 16th, 2023. The all-ages event includes cardboard boat races with 18 total boats racing in 4 divisions ranging from kids to adults, multiple awards, raffle prizes, food, and more.
A large crowd of spectators came to watch the regatta races! We enjoyed great food from Bro Man’s Sammiches and the Charter School’s Food for Thought food trucks. The Regatta is one of two main fundraisers for the Bayfront Maritime Center and allows us to continue providing hands-on maritime education to Erie’s youth on the bayfront. With your support, the return of this event was a huge success!
Registration Information:
Registration fee: Check back for 2024 registration info!
Building your cardboard boat: See Regatta Guidelines below and start building our boat today! Boats are built using only cardboard, tape, paint, and glue and compete in races, 2 by 2, and vie for the fastest time in 4 divisions – Kids Crew (under 12), Teen Crew (13-18), Adult (19&up), and Mixed Ages Crews.
Awards: Fastest Time Awards in each division; Crowd Favorite (voting done via donations in the boat buckets in the raffle tent); Judge’s Awards – Most Creative & Most Dramatic Sinking
Email us with any questions about sponsorship or registration: Events@bayfrontcenter.org
Day of the Event:
Registration: Begins at 9 AM; Located in the registration tent in front of the BMC Building. Walk-on participants accepted day of event. All racers/parent’s of minors will be required to fill out a liability waiver at check-in. After registering and signing in, you will be directed to the boat staging area, between the sidewalk and pavilion. Volunteers will advise you where to place your boat to store prior to the parade and your race.
Parade: Line-up at 10; Parade 10:30 – You will be directed to line-up on the sidewalk next to the boat staging area. The parade will follow along the sidewalk, around the BMC, and back to the boat staging area. You may bring something with wheels to push your boat on the sidewalk for the parade (furniture dolly, etc) or your crew can carry it, if it is light enough. This is a great opportunity to try to get votes for the “Crowd Favorite” award!
Race Times: Races start at 11 AM. Division and individual boat race times will be announced and displayed at the event.
Sponsorship & Donation Opportunities
Check back for 2024 sponsorship opportunities!
Thinking about getting your staff or co-workers together to build a boat? Or would your organization like to work together with a local school and sponsor their boat?! A sponsorship is the perfect way to enter the regatta as a team, support local youth, and be recognized for helping us providemaritime education and sailing for Erie’s community.
Find sponsorship levels and more info by clicking the button below.
We are also accepting donations for our large prize raffles! Contact us if you would like to donate an item or gift certificate to support the event.
Please contact us with any questions.
Email: info@bayfrontcenter.org
Check out our past regatta photo galleries below for creative ideas for building your cardboard boat!
