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Douglas Students Compete in 2015 Plywood Regatta

by Sharon Aron Baron April 13, 2015

by Sharon Aron Baron April 13, 2015 12 views

Students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas participate in the MIASF Plywood Regatta.

By: Sharon Aron Baron

More photos from the 2015 Plywood Regatta on Flickr

The Annual Plywood Regatta held its two-day boat-building event where students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School’s “Save What’s Left” Environmental Club worked together to build and design a boat.

Organized by the Marine Industries Association of South Florida (MIASF), the event introduces local youth to the craft of boat building and the excitement of recreational boating. This weekend, 40 teams of middle school, high school, and marine technical school students built sea-worthy vessels using simple hand tools and only the supplied materials of plywood, caulk, and zip ties.

Douglas students Brandon Arboleda, Max Baron, Seasia Catena, Maelle Charles Cazeau, Lauren Chan, and Gabe Peterson spent their entire weekend, with the help of a mentor experienced in boat-building, assembling their vessel called “Blue Leaf,” which was designed to resemble a video game.

Once their boat was complete, they painted it late until Saturday evening. On Sunday morning, they competed in a race where two people had to navigate the boat around a buoy successfully. There were several series of heats to determine an event champion. Fortunately, “Blue Leaf” made it through several heats without submerging. It wasn’t until the mentor race that it had some problems taking on some water and could not hold two people at that point. The students didn’t bring home a trophy this year, but they had a great time and worked hard at their creation, even enjoying a meal at Jaxson’s Ice Cream Parlour after their long weekend.

All Plywood Regatta proceeds benefit South Florida’s marine industry education programs and the Plywood Regatta Scholarship Fund. These programs encourage marine education and develop students’ interest in the marine industry.

The Save What’s Left Club sponsors are Ms. Orilio and Mrs. Pearce. The Club is looking for new students for next year whose objective is recycling, the waterway cleanup, Envirothon, butterfly garden maintenance, and participation in the annual Plywood Regatta.

Do you want your Coral Springs school to participate next year? Then register for the 2016 regatta when forms are available! Plywood Regatta.

Author Profile

Sharon Aron Baron

Editor of Talk Media and writer for Coral Springs Talk. CST was created in 2012 to provide News, Views, and Entertainment for the residents of Coral Springs and the rest of South Florida.