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Tubbin’ town
Monday, May 11th, 2009 by GetawayBC.com
Nanaimo is sometimes known as the Harbour City and sometimes known as the Hub City, but it’s always known as the capital of bathtub racing and the Marine Festival.
The community has hosted the Great International World Championship Bathtub Race for 43 years now, and the event – part of the Nanaimo Marine Festival – is as big as ever.
This year’s race goes at 11 a.m. July 26, with tubbers starting at the Nanaimo harbour downtown and arriving some two hours later at Departure Bay beach to throngs of appreciative spectators.
The four-day festival gets underway earlier in the week with the opening of the entertainment stage, food fair and Kiddies’ Karnival at Maffeo Sutton Park.
Lots of other events, like the World Championship Waiters’ Race and fireworks, accompany the races during the festivities. It’s one of Nanaimo’s biggest summer events.
Things ramp up July 25 downtown with the Sailpast on Wheels parade at 10:30 a.m. The day comes to a close with the Quality Foods Festival of Lights and Music fireworks show at 10 p.m.
As for the bathtub racing itself, the sport has changed significantly since the first race in 1967, when 200 tubbers attempted to cross the Strait of Georgia in vessels of varying seaworthiness. Now, some tubs are even tricked out to compete in the super-modified division.
But as the sport has changed with the time, the festival’s mandate has stayed steadfast – to accent the harbour.