The Wobbly race has been one of the most looked forward to fund-raising events in the West Indies. This year too, there was no shortage of fun, frolic, and racing at the Wobbly Race event held in Antigua in the West Indies. The event is held for Antigua Barbuda Search and Rescue (ABSAR) and was able to raise EC $17,000 (US $6,300).
The Wobbly Race is sponsored by the Newport Shipyard for the past five years. They send a team every year in the West Indies to organize and host this very popular fundraising event. A total of ten teams took part in the 2017 Wobbly Race. This race is a peculiar race as the crew members and the captain of the yacht will have to build a boat on their own using two sheets of plywood and other essential supplies. The regatta was sponsored by the Association of Yacht Support Services (AYSS).
The theme for the 2017 event was ‘Rock Stars” and the teams had to dress up like their favorite rock star. Not only this, they need to decorate the boats also accordingly. The teams had to pay $100 to take part in the race. They had to shell out another $25 each for the plywood that was supplied to build the boats. The fleets have three hours to build the vessel, with the winners taking home a Kastela Bareboat Yacht Charter as the first prize (provided by plainsailing.com).
Once the boats were built, they get launched from the Cat Club beach ad race to reach the other side of the Marina. There will be judges who rank the teams based on the overall theme, their costumes, the boat and the performance of the boat on the water.
The money raised from the event is used to buy supplies for ABSAR and also to maintain the equipment. The Newport Shipyard General Manager, Eli Dana, said that they love to host and support the Wobbly Race as the money raised is used for a worthy case.