Since mid-January, Andrew’s Cub Scout pack has kicked into high gear. He raced in his first pinewood derby on January 24th, and he and his Tiger Cubs posse put up some tight races. He wound up 3rd in the Tigers, which apparently gets him an invitation to a district meet in March.
When we signed into the race, we also took possession of a Raingutter Regatta kit. Unlike the pinewood derby kit, which looked much like the ones I had nearly 30 years ago, the boat has changed quite a bit. I recall a pine block for the hull, which may or may not have had a pre-drilled mast hole. We also had to cut the sail from a plastic milk jug. The darn kids these days get a pre-shaped balsa hull with metal keel, plastic rudder, and sail. As with the car, Andrew and I got to spend some quality time together with the sanding block, exploring the effects of different grits of sandpaper. He chose the color scheme – a black-on-gold fade made somewhat lumpy by a spray can that didn’t want to turn off when we released the button.
The Tigers had much lighter turnout for the regatta, which I find as regrettable as it was predictable. Coming only a couple of weeks after the derby, not doubt many families suffered from scout fatigue. However, the regatta is a more engaging event for the boys. Instead of watching their cars roll down the track, they have to blow the boats down the gutter. Of the three boats in the den, Andrew came second to his large-lunged friend Connor, who ended up third in the pack against some much larger kids.
Andrew also took home the best design award for the pack, and his 2nd place in the den is good for yet another trip to a District meet. Fortunately, the district boat race and car race are on the same day. Unfortunately, it’s also the same day that we’re scheduled to spend on the USS Salem with his den. That’s gonna be a long weekend…