Salem residents gearing up for popular annual Duct Tape Regatta
Residents participate in Salem Days’ Duct Tape Regatta.
Residents line up along the shore to partipate in Salem Days’ Duct Tape Regatta.
Residents participate in Salem Days’ Duct Tape Regatta.
August can be miserably hot in Utah with temperatures soaring into the hundreds. There’s no better way for locals to cool off than competing in Salem Days’ famous cardboard duct tape regatta.
Salem residents Shellie and Randon Olsen, the regatta organizers, have hosted the event for about 12 years.
“The first year there were about seven boats, and my kids were in two or three of them,” Shellie said. “We loved it so much that the [Salem Days] committee asked us to take it over.”
Since then, the Olsen’s have organized and participated in the event. Their kids have competed in almost all the races, and it has become a must-see for Salem residents. In fact, the event is so popular that there is a limit on how many teams can compete.
“It started 12 years ago with maybe a dozen boats tops, and now we have to cap it at 60 or it would go on all night,” Randon said.
The regatta is a team race with two people to a boat and is divided into four categories: youth, adult, family and freestyle. This year, the youth, adult and family competitions are limited to 60 teams, so early registration is advised. Freestyle is open to all. Each team category, except freestyle, has two hours to build their boat using only cardboard, two rolls of duct tape and a medium-sized board. Teams competing in freestyle build their boats at home and are free to use as many supplies as they wish. The boats are judged on speed and creativity.
“The fun part is watching people sink. They get all the way out in a cool looking boat, but then end up sinking because it wasn’t sea worthy,” Randon said.
Local businesses also join in on the fun by racing in the freestyle competition or by donating supplies. The Salem Youth Council will be there this year to sell concessions and raise money for their organization. Salem City has also played an integral part in keeping the tradition alive.
“The city of Salem has been wonderful from the beginning because they haven’t raised the cost. [They] wanted it to stay as something a family can do without forking out a lot of money,” Shellie said. “It’s more about giving back.”
Team participants should arrive at Salem Pond at 4 p.m. August 8 to begin boat construction. Each team may bring two assistants to help build. The race starts at 6 p.m., so show up a little early to reserve a spot to watch.