CORDOVA - Cub Scout Pack 712 held its very first Rain Gutter Regatta earlier this month at Edisto Primary School. The school cafeteria was filled with many young "Captain Jack Sparrow" wannabes sporting their custom-built sailboats.

More than 65 spectators, family members and friends joined the 36 Cub Scouts as they gathered to register their one-of-a-kind boats for racing.

The young competitors, ranging in age from 6 to 11, were eager and hopeful that their model boats would be the fastest to sail to the finish line. The boys were divided and raced in their ranks of Tiger, Wolf, Bear and Weblo.

Each Scout, with the assistance of an adult, built their model sailboat from a kit that consisted of a seven-inch-long balsa wood hull, a 6-1/2 inch mast, plastic sail, plastic rudder and metal keel. Using basic design rules, the sailors were free to assemble, paint, sand and decorate their sailboats as they chose.

The boys served as the captain of their boats, racing them in a standard rain gutter that was 10 feet long. The rain gutters were placed on saw horses and filled with water.

It was a fierce but friendly competition, with each race being watched over carefully by an unbiased adult as the sailors raced their boats. Blowing on the sail, either directly or through a drinking straw, the captains propelled their boats the length of the gutter. The sailboats could not be touched with the hands or the straw. The first boat to reach the end of the gutter was the winner. Several heats were held, and single elimination was completed to determine a winner in each Cub Scout rank.

Race winners were:

* Tigers: Ethen Brant, first place; Brendan Sanford, second place and Alan Williamson, third place.

* Wolves: Olin Fanning, first place; Kenneth Thompson, second place and Terry Weeks, third place.

* Bears: Davis Stembridge, first place; Sylvester Shuler, second place and Christian Hutson, third place.

* Webelos: Harthe Blankenship, first place; Hayden Bishop, second place and Hunter Watkins, third place.

* Best in Show: Joshua Smith, Tigers; Olin Fanning, Wolves; Zachary Epting, Bears and Harthe Blankenship, Webelos.

"With the support of families and sponsors such as Dodge's Chicken, it was a fun-filled evening of healthy, character building competition," said Jimmy Sanford, Cub Master for Pack 712.

The Pack also extended appreciate to Orangeburg Consolidated School District 4, Edisto Primary School and Principal Susan Zeigler for their continuation of resources and support to the Scouting program.

Those interested in partnering or sponsoring Pack 712 are asked to contact Sanford at 803-531-7733 or e-mail him at sanfordhawk@ntinet.com.

For more information about Cub Scouts, go to www.indianwaters.org.

T&D Correspondent Ginger Thompson can be reached by e-mail at vthompson@ntinet.com. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

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