Bathtub racing will be returning to the qathet region on Blackberry Festival weekend.
Bathtub racer and event organizer Melvin Mitchell said the tentative date is August 16. He said also on that date, there will be a culturally significant naming ceremony at Tla’amin Nation, and he has been asked to be one of the witnesses.
“The ceremony is from 10 am to 3 pm, but we usually race at 1 pm, so I’m going to ask the tubbers if they want to race later, or the next day,” said Mitchell. “I would like to get them here on Friday so they can see Blackberry Festival, so they can walk the street.
“I was walking once at Blackberry Festival just after COVID-19 with bathtub buddies and I lost them six times on the street. Everybody was so happy to be out. I try to get them to come and see our town.”
Mitchell said racing from Gibsons Beach on the northern Sunshine Coast is ideal. He said the racers like the location.
“Some of them are from the city and they think they are in the bush,” said Mitchell. “They like it, and that’s what it’s all about. If they like it, they’ll come back.”
Previously, when Mitchell brought bathtub racers to qathet, they raced off Willingdon Beach, having to launch their bathtubs at the north boat harbour. Mitchell said it was complicated to launch at the harbour because of all the other boats coming and going.
“When we race at Gibsons Beach, it’s a really low tide, so we don’t have many boats coming in,” said Mitchell.
When the tubbers travel here, Mitchell said they are accommodated in Tla’amin.
“It’s just crazy trying to get yourself a camping spot in our campgrounds here,” said Mitchell. “So, I bring them to Tla’amin. They come and our community just rolls out the mat.”
Mitchell said the racers can stay at the Salish Centre because it is flat. He said in past, when there have been bears wandering around, the campers with tents have set up inside the Salish Centre if they don’t have campers.
“They are safe in the gym and there is also a flat spot outside by the kitchen,” said Mitchell. “They can walk down to the beach and have a happy time.”
Mitchell said he is busy when the racers arrive, preparing for the race, setting up the course and making sure the race happens.
“I have to make sure it’s safe and that all the racers get out safely,” said Mitchell. “It’s all good, clean fun and a crazy sport that brings towns together. That’s what I’m doing. I bring racing to our town and for all the people. I try to get people to come here and spend some money in our town.”
Last year, Meta censored Canadian news from its feeds, so we built our own social platform: syrupsocial.com – a newsfeed powered by Canadian journalists. Join the Peak on Syrup for the latest news from the Sunshine Coast and beyond, and add the Peak's email list for the top headlines right in your inbox Monday to Friday.
