Of boats, rain gutters and disappointment...

Peter got to participate in his Cub Scout pack's annual Rain Gutter Regatta this past weekend.

The scouts each work with their dads to design and make a boat.  The boats are then raced in rain gutters in multiple heats to see who has the fastest boat.  In addition to ribbons and trophies for the fastest boats, there is also a prize for Most Creative boat and Best Looking boat.

Dan wasn't confidant in their skills to make a fast boat since this was their first year competing but he knew they could make a nice looking boat.

So Peter and Dan sanded and painted and glued and painted some more until they created a replica of the USS Constitution.

 Here she is before the big race.

 

Peter is proudly displaying his boat before the race.

 

The boats are under sail power only.  The boys aren't allowed to touch the boats.  They can only blow on the sails.

 

After the first leg of the first heat, you can see that Peter's competition beat him to the end of the gutter. 

Peter was very disappointed that he only won one of the legs of  one of the heats.  He lost the rest but we reassuered him that surely he would win for Most Creative or Best Looking.

But alas, it was not meant to be.  Peter didn't win anything and to add insult to injury, his BFF Colton not only won as fastest Tiger but he beat the 4 other age divisions to win as the fastest boat over all. Way to go Colton!

After shedding a few tears, listening to a couple of lectures from Mom and Dad about good sportsmanship and how you can't always be the winner, and reading a few chapters in Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Peter was able to shake off the disappointment and enjoy the rest of the afternoon. 

And Dan is already contemplating next year's winning design.