Around the World in 8000 days: Bathtub Racing in Nanaimo

Welcome to our travel blog. We are Tabitha and Nic. In 2011 we 'retired' in our early 40s and set off to travel the world. We spent our first year in South America and have been lucky enough to make two trips to Antarctica.

Our blog is a record of our travels, thoughts and experiences. It is not a guide book, but we do include some tips and information, so we hope that you may find it useful if you are planning to visit somewhere we have been. Or you may just find it interesting as a bit of armchair travel.

Sunday, September 3, 2017

Bathtub Racing in Nanaimo

'Black Frank' Frank Ney, Nanaimo

Back in Nanaimo, we discovered that we had arrived in time for the annual Bathtub Race. The race was launched in 1957, and in honour of his part in making it happen, the then Mayor, Frank Ney, was dubbed ‘Black Frank’ and there is a statue in the harbour of him dressed as a pirate.

As this year marks the 50^th anniversary, and 51^st Bathtub Race, the annual race weekend firework show was given a little bit extra whizz and bang. We watched them from the comfort of the first floor terrace at our Airbnb.

Now on hearing about the Bathtub Races, we had visions of people paddling (and probably sinking) decorated bathtubs, or possibly a land version, with people running, either carrying someone in a bathtub, or maybe Flintstones style, with their feet sticking through holes cut out of the bottom.

Bathtub boat, Nanaimo

In fact, neither was true. Bathtub racing, Nanaimo style, is a serious business. The competitor does indeed sit in a bathtub, but it is housed in a kind of mini speedboat, and this is no jaunt in the harbour. The route is 58km (36 mile) out on the open sea, and as it turned out this year, it can get pretty rough.

Last year, the winner made it back in a record time of just over 1 hour and 7 minutes. This year, it took somewhat longer, if they made it back at all. Of the 33 tubs that started, only about six made it past the second of four checkpoints. Over two hours in, and it wasn’t at all clear that anyone would make it all the way around the course.

Bathtub Race 2017, Nanaimo

When one guy motored his damaged tub back to the finish line, we all cheered him in even though we knew he was out, just because it was looking like it might be the only tub we’d see arrive. Another guy got a big cheer as he used his hands to paddle the last bit of the way in, even though he was already out and had been towed most of the way back. And all the while, we were getting updates about the latest tub that had retired from the race.

Bathtub Race 2017, Nanaimo

But just as we were all giving up hope, we got the news that there was one that had managed to beat the waves, and was on its way in. The winner, Brandon Leigh in number 555, pulled in to shore with his tub, clambered out, and tottered on jelly legs up the beach, up a rather mean ramp, and rang the finishing bell with a time of 2 hours 24 minutes and 6 seconds.

A tub is towed back, Bathtub Race 2017, Nanaimo

We stuck around for another twenty minutes, which was just long enough to the second tub, Shawn Nadeau in number 789, come home, but had to head off after that, as having expected to be long finished by now, we were already late to collect our hire car.

Bathtub Race 2017, Nanaimo

We later discovered that five tubs made it back, with third place Kurt Henderson coming in in 3 hours and five minutes, fourth place Tyler Lucente ten minutes after that, and the fifth place Kyle Boyd finally making it home after an incredible 5 hours, 7 minutes and 20 seconds. You’ve got to admire his determination to keep going!