World Championship Bathtub Race participants often take a physical beating in typically choppy seas.  (File Photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Ian Holmes

tubs return

‘We’ll be racing bathtubs:’ Nanaimo Marine Festival’s crown jewel returning

Apr 26, 2022 | 6:07 AM

NANAIMO — Following a two year hiatus due to the pandemic, the World Championship Bathtub Race will once again take over Nanaimo’s harbour in late July.

The decision to bring Nanaimo’s signature event back this year was made during a recent Loyal Nanaimo Bathtub Society board meeting.

Society commodore Greg Peacock said it was important to return the iconic event which means so much to participants, volunteers and the entire community.

“The frustration with all of this is over the past couple of years is we thought we could to do it, then we couldn’t, then we thought we could, then we couldn’t. This year with the way things are going we’ll be racing bathtubs on the 24th of July in Nanaimo Harbour.”

Nanaimo Marine Festival events will run from Friday, July 22 through race day on Sunday with most activities concentrated at Maffeo Sutton park where the bathtub race starts and ends.

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The event’s parade will take place on the Saturday morning downtown, while several food vendors will be held at Maffeo Sutton Park throughout the weekend.

A beer garden will also be established, Peacock said.

He noted this year’s event will be scaled back, primarily entertainment-wise, pointing to financial constraints and the inability to secure top musical talent already booked elsewhere.

“Normally by this time we would have applied for a number of grants and done a number of other things knowing we could host a big bath tub event,” Peacock told NanaimoNewsNOW.

Typically a fireworks show on the Saturday night prior to race day draws thousands to the waterfront, however the feature won’t be proceeding this year, Peacock confirmed.

As for the 53rd annual World Championship Bathtub Race itself, Peacock expects the typical range of 35 to 50 participants in two stock classes to attempt the nearly 60 kilometer course.

Numerous tubbers have kept their boats and motors tuned up during the pandemic with practice runs, while some new racers are entering the field, Peacock said.

“These guys have been keeping them going throughout over the last couple of years. At the end of the day when it comes to the big race we’ll probably have very close to the same numbers that we’ve always had.”

The Nanaimo Marine Festival welcomed back this summer adds to several other summer mainstay events to return locally in 2022, including the Nanaimo Dragon Boat Festival and Silly Boat Regatta.

More information on the Nanaimo Marine Festival can be found here.

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ian@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @reporterholmes