qathet region bathtub racing enthusiasts will be able to watch an exhibition race off Gibsons Beach at the end of August.
Bathtub racer Melvin Mitchell, who recently competed in the 53rd annual world championship bathtub race in Nanaimo, will be bringing some coastal competitors here to show off the sport and to show the friends he competes against a good time in this community. His friends will be coming here for social activities on August 27, with plans to launch the bathtubs and race around a course off Gibsons Beach on August 28.
“We are so lucky here in Powell River and we can put on a feast for them,” said Mitchell. “We can go get oysters, we can go get clams and we have prawns. Last year, we had someone make some bannock bread, we had different kinds of salads – we had so much food, I tried to convince the guys to go for round three but they had to race the next day.
“So, on Saturday, we’re going to have a traditional dinner for them.”
Mitchell said in terms of the on-water activity, the race will be on the Sunday out in front of Gibsons Beach. He said the racing will last for about an hour or an hour and a half and there will be a boomerang-shaped course on which the racers will compete.
When the racers came up last year, there were a half-dozen bathtubs. He is hoping the competitors who raced in the very rough conditions at Nanaimo are able to get their bathtubs patched up in time for the race.
All in the family
West Coast Tub Society hosted a race at Davis Bay on August 7. Mitchell’s daughter, Jenna, finished in third place at the lower Sunshine Coast event.
“It was a tough launch in two-to-three-foot waves but we got it done,” said Mitchell. “Nine tubs were there competing.”
Jaime Garcia, who also won the recent race in Nanaimo, claimed another first place finish.
“This race was a great success,” said James Latheron, director of public relations for West Coast Tub Society and coordinator of the Davis Bay race. “There appears to be a resurgence of the sport. Several businesses have approached the WCTS to purchase, or learn how to build a tub. Two were purchased and raced in the 2022 Sunshine Coast Chris Glenn Memorial Cup.”
Roehlen Anderson, in a tub newly purchased by Custom Flooring Centres, the main sponsor for the event, finished between Garcia and Jenna.
Last year racing on the lower Sunshine Coast, Mitchell said he encountered rough conditions and split the bottom of the hull on the bathtub, which had to be repaired. Upkeep on the vessels is a constant battle and Mitchell said he has received some help from workers skilled with fibreglass to help keep his vessel afloat. He said a professional gelcoat person was able to fix some of the damage he has sustained during racing.
“That’s what bathtub racing is about,” said Mitchell. “It’s about getting together, dropping the guns and helping each other. It’s a really friendly competition.”
Race preparation
Mitchell said that while there are stresses of managing and hosting a race, he wants to go overboard for the visiting bathtub racers because of all the help they give him.
“Different families, they put me up,” said Mitchell. “We have a great community of racers. They take good care of me.”
Mitchell said that often, when he is out of town, he is fed, and in First Nations culture, it is significant to be invited to someone else’s table.
“In reciprocation, I intend to do the same for them when they come to Powell River,” said Mitchell. “We will put together a feast for them. People have already phoned me and asked me if I’m doing it again and they want to help. Powell River is such a destination. We know that.”
Mitchell said last year, when the racers came up, there was not one campsite to be found, so he came up with a solution, booking the Salish Centre at Tla’amin Nation. Some people brought campers and trailers and could park on the flat ground, and there was also room inside the gym to set up tents for those who wanted, because there were bears wandering around.
“We do whatever we can for them to show Powell River hospitality, and some Tla’amin ways,” said Mitchell. “I tell them how thankful I am and the gratitude I have because they do this for me.”
He said during COVID-19, a group of bathtub racers came together and formed the West Coast Tub Society.
“It’s a bunch of guys getting together, having some fun, camping and racing,” said Mitchell. “That’s the bathtub society that will be in Powell River, so we can keep practicing, keep the spirit of bathtub racing alive, and hopefully, provide something for the spectators.”
For the event at Gibsons Beach, racing is usually at 1 pm, which will allow time for everyone to compete and get on the ferries to go back home.
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