Iqaluit's Cardboard Boat plunge… in February…

Skills Canada NWT/Nunavut's 1 st Annual Cardboard Boat Race was a wet, wild success. Held at Inuksuk High School and the Iqaluit Pool, on February 17 th and 18 th , the event involved 125 participants. The event engaged 20 teams of six in construction of a boat using only cardboard, duct tape, string, and contact cement. Each team's boat was then raced across the pool. Boats that survived the race were then put to a test of buoyancy.

Click here to view photos of the event

The winning team from Jr. High was The Bluenoses. Their team consisted of Kim Smith, Caleb Little, Simon Atagoyuk, Courtney Cox, Adam Akpik, Myles Gauthier of he Bluenoses and Teacher Advisor Moya Duffy.

The winning team from Sr. High was Aqua Teen Hunger. The crew: Anika Aylward, John McCullough, Orla Osborne, Callum Aylward-Blake, Sarah Critelli-Kerr . It was a fitting retirement present for their teacher/coach, Dick Smith. Their team outlasted Maku's Mates by a mere one point.

All participating teams should be commended for their spirit, ingenuity, and sportsmanship.

Guy Barnable, Executive Director of Skills Canada NWT/NU remarked that he was highly impressed by the spirit and the work that went into boat designs, “One of the winning boats was designed by an elder and another boat was so structurally sound that three of its crew could stand in it after seven minutes in the water!”.

The Cardboard Boat Race also involved a Corporate Challenge. The winning corporate team was The Department of Education's Ajungattuq (Inuktitut for “Greatest of all time”). Their crew was comprised of Phoebe Hainnu, Brad Chambers, Sandy Teiman, Jackie Jordinson, and Allasua Aningmiuq . The Government of Nunavut's Department of Education happens to be a dedicated sponsor of Skills Canada NWT/NU.

Thanks largely to the contributions of volunteers, Inuksuk High School staff, and local sponsors, the Skills Canada Cardboard Boat Race was a success in its Iqaluit debut.

Thanks to our Program Sponsors as well as the following Event Sponsors:

Major credit goes out to those who gave their time to help make this happen, especially Michelle Jacquard, David Lloyd, Lloyd Kendall, and the staff of Inuksuk High School.

Cardboard Boat Race 2004 (Yellowknife)

Cardboard Boat Race 2003 (Yellowknife)