"Duck" Tape Regatta

With rolls of duct tape and cardboard boxes in tow, more than 60 Girl Scouts headed to the beach at First Landing State Park on August 16 for the first annual “Duck” Tape Regatta, hosted by a Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast outdoor adventure group. Seventeen teams of Girl Scouts spent the morning designing and constructing boats using just two materials—cardboard and duct tape. Each team was also given two pieces of PVC pipe to use to make paddles. The girls put their heads together to engineer a boat that could hold one or two of their team members long enough for a short race in the Chesapeake Bay.

Members of Girl Scout Troop 318 from Chesapeake ready to race their boat.

After three hours of building, teams gathered at the shoreline with their boats ready to race. From a bright yellow boat with a pointed bow to a rainbow-colored box with a fin, girls came up with creative designs, all vying for the coveted rubber duck trophy. Teams raced in heats based on age-level with a goal of staying afloat as their boats hit the water. Special guest judges, including Liz Palka from WAVY-TV, rated each boat based on creativity, design and flotation and kept time during the races.

Kathryn from Troop 460 in Virginia Beach
successfully navigated her team's boat
across the finish line. 

Many of the boats floated successfully and girls were able to navigate them into the bay, around an orange buoy and back to the shore. They maneuvered through challenges such as wind, broken paddles and water slowly coming onboard their boats. In the end, teams were awarded with trophies for best design and best décor, among other recognitions.

“This is a great opportunity for girls to use their imagination and learn about engineering, all while having tons of fun,” Bonnie Taylor, the Girl Scout volunteer who helped plan the event, said. “It’s important to me to make sure girls have opportunities to participate in outdoor adventure activities, and this is just one of the many events we have planned this year.”

Girl Scouts has a long history of getting girls outdoors to participate in fun and enriching activities that allow them to take risks, try new things and build confidence and leadership skills.

View more photos from the day here.