Words Stephanie Staples
Photos Sarah Hartley Photography
This is, in my opinion, one of the most clever and fun marketing ideas I have seen; I was so excited to participate in the Slegg Build-a-Boat Challenge in Sidney last year.
I had been one of the thousands in the crowd, year after year, laughing, gasping and cheering as hardy participants braved the “refreshing” waters of the Salish Sea in their unique, hand-crafted boats.
Finally, I decided this was my year to see what things were like on the other side of the fence – I just needed two willing (and smart) participants to help me. My first choice was my daughter-in-law, Malary – as an engineer, I was sure she would be the ringer on the team. When she was not available, I settled for her husband, my son Aaron, a sturdy Central Saanich Police Officer who would supply the brawn. Without the aptitude for building or the muscles for propulsion, I gave myself the responsibility of cheerleader, which as a “motivational speaker” I think I was aptly qualified to do. We just needed that third missing link: building experience. Hmmm.
The event costs a mere $30 per team to enter. Each team, consisting of three typically inexperienced boat builders, is given a $250 credit at Slegg Building Materials to purchase everything you need to build your boat and paddles. The materials are dropped off for you at Beacon Park on Canada Day, and you’re responsible for removing them at the end of the day. You can bring hand tools only; no other supplies are allowed.
As Aaron and I wandered around the store, tossing ideas and pricing out supplies for our team, “The Life of Try,” Slegg employee Sarah Osipenko was so knowledgeable, helpful and excited about the event that we asked her to join our team! With her experience in construction, she was quickly promoted to Captain Sarah and together with Rear Admiral Aaron and First Mate Steph we had plans for an “unsinkable” boat.
Our strategy was “slow and steady might win the race.” Since many boats in the past had sunk, we thought we would build ours so it would stay afloat for the entire course, even if it wasn’t the most aerodynamic or aesthetically pleasing (there was no trophy for that anyway!).
All the teams got to work promptly at noon, but because Aaron had been on night shift, we didn’t begin until two, leaving us two hours to complete our boat instead of four. I’m sure the crowds thought Sarah and I were very strange sitting around with our feet up on the lumber, doing nothing while the other teams scurried around.
The teams included those who had competed for many years, a mother with her daughters, and young friends who all seemed to be having a blast building, with various levels of seriousness amongst them. I believe I even saw some pizzas being delivered to one team mid-way through the production.
We were cautiously optimistic about our build, changing some plans as we went along. It was very sturdy (on land) and we felt quasi-confident that with five trophies and only eight teams, we could nab one of them!
Oh how wrong we were. I can’t really tell you about the “race” because I was in the water from the get-go and most of the time after that, so I had a soggy and chilly perspective.
But, it was so much fun! My stomach hurt from laughing so hard. Except for the boat that failed to launch, we were dead last, but the crowd hung in there and cheered us to shore with such enthusiasm, it felt like a win to us.
“The Life of Try” arrived on shore safely after an undisclosed amount of time and without needing the ever-present Coast Guard (but thanks to them for being there!). We all had some blood, sweat and tears of laughter to show for our afternoon. You can keep your trophy, Slegg; we have already won the game of life!
My suggestion to you is to grab a couple of fun friends, arrange for a pizza to arrive, sharpen your saw and have a great time. If you’re not into building, come on down to cheer this Canada Day! You won’t get a heartier laugh for zero dollars than the Sidney Build-A-Boat Challenge!
