Sailors must think or sink

The boats and costumes made this a very see-worthy event.
By NANCY TULLIS
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
OU MIGHT SAY THE FIFTHannual Raider Regatta was a splashing success.
It was a perfect fall day at Wildwood Lake as teams of 10th-grade students set sail in boats made only of cardboard and duct tape.
The regatta is the culmination of a three-week study in science, math and English classes, said English teacher Laura Elder, of South Range High School.
Elder said teams of two or more students designed boats. About 90 students were involved in the building of 20 boats, she said.
The students tried to move the boats across the lake and back by pulling along ropes anchored on each shore.
How it helped them
They gained practice in technical writing by writing construction manuals. They also wrote letters to their parents and press releases to media outlets to promote the event, Elder said.
She said the students used math calculations to design the boats, then practiced scientific method by creating and testing models made of masking tape and photocopy paper. They also planned themes and costumes for the event.
Along with more traditional boat designs, there were floating -- or not-so-floating garbage containers, a Zamboni ice-rink machine, a military tank and an Egyptian pyramid, complete with mummy.
Although the object was to design boats that would float, many "sailors" were disappointed when they didn't land in the drink.
UPS truck
A crowd favorite was a rendering of a United Parcel Service "big brown truck", piloted by "deliverymen" Ben Detwiler, Dan Nemergut, Shawn Kaufman and David Cornich. They each sported an official UPS baseball-style uniform hat borrowed from the company for the day.
"We thought we'd take in water through the rear doors, but it was fine," Detwiler said as the group emerged from the rear double doors of their "truck".
Rather than turning the boat around when they reached the far shore, the group pulled in reverse, prompting a group of students on shore to chorus the backup warning "Beep, beep, beep," as it appeared the delivery truck was backing across the water.
The television sitcom "Gilligan's Island" was a popular theme. One "S.S. Minnow" stayed true to its namesake as it went off course, then sank in the middle of the lake.
Another smaller "Minnow" was more successful.
Chad Fusco, dressed as The Skipper, and Billy Hartwig, dressed as Gilligan, crossed the lake with the boat moving sideways, but they returned safely without taking on water.
"It's exciting," said Chad. "It's just fun to be out there."
Many hours
Billy said the duo spent about 20 hours on the boat, using exacting mathematical calculations in the design. They made two boats and put them together, reasoning that if the boats came apart one or both of the boys could navigate separately.
"We were so precise, we probably took longer than we should have to build it, but we made a good boat," said Chad.
Billy said they chose "Gilligan's Island" and the ultimately shipwrecked Minnow for their theme because, "We were afraid it wasn't going to float very well."
tullis@vindy.com