___ Give the Regatta sailboat kits to the cubs' parents during a Pack Night

• The kits contain a sheet with basic building rules:
  Rules sheet side 1
  Rules sheet side 2
• Racing rules sample you can read to the boys so they know what to expect from the race.
• Post the date of the Regatta on the kits
• Buy an extra kit or two for spare parts
• You might want want to tell the boys they will be responsible for purchasing a new kit if they break, or lose parts from the kit they are given

• A Regatta practice will give you a chance to make sure all the boats meet regulations. This beats having any surprises the day of the Regatta!
• Most raingutters need to be almost completely filled with water so the boats rudders and keels won't drag, this requires very leveled ground

___ Send announcements for the Regatta

• Announcement Sample
  
• Regatta clipart and animated gifs

___ Build Raingutter tracks

• Ideas on how to build the Raingutter tracks!
• Request a Sponsor form

• With all the Regatta preparations, we almost forgot our son's sailboat! :

___ Make assignments:

Examples:

• ___ set up microfone
• ___ bring treat (and something to serve it with)
• ___ bring drinks
• ___ bring disposable plates, napkins, cups, utensils
• ___ assign a cub scout to conduct
• ___ help to clean up, etc.
• ___ get judges (preferably not related to any of the cubs)
• ___ someone to helpkeep track of the racing heat order
• ___ decorations
• ___ Help with "Special Awards" certificates (see below)
• ___ Help set up raingutters
• ___ Print race heats (Race Chart Generator - made for the Pine Wood Derby, but it can also work for the Regatta.)
• ___ Build a display for the check-in sailboats (Ideas)
• ___ Purchase any awards needed
• ___ Take pictures/bring camera
• ___ "Repair Table" - suggestions: duct tape, masking tape, scissors, crazy glue, extra regatta kits for spare parts, blow dryer (to help glue dry faster), etc.
• ___ Someone to check-in boats (inspection sheet)
• ___ Someone to help with Regatta practice

• The announcements you can print above have an area to pencil in assignements.
• Cool Regatta treats!

___ Print out certificates for special awards

Special Awards certficates
Some examples of special awards can be:

Hint: Print out one certificate for every cub in the Regatta. Write the names of each of the boys on the certificates. Assign someone to fill out the certificates during the Regatta. To help them fill out the certificates, you can print the list of suggestions above by clicking here.

__ Hold a Regatta practice

• Review rules(example of some Regatta rules). You might want to add your own rules based on your Regatta practice. Let the boys know about the change in rules.
• Preliminary Inspection Form to send home to make sure their boats meet regulation the day of the race
• When practicing, have the boys start from opposite sides of the raingutters to avoid racing. This will help them to focus on blowing techniques rather than racing. You can bring timers to help them figure out what works best for them.
• In our Pack, some boys did better blowing with straws and some did better without them. We gave them the option of using or not using a straw in the race.
• Have the boys remove their hats/neckerchiefs. These can hit the boats and sink them or push them forward
• Bring a couple af extra saliboat kits for spare parts. Encourage the boys to do any repairs when their parents are present to avoid damaged boats!

• Print racing heat forms for different number of contentants in case one or more of the cubs cannot make it to the race.
• Race Chart Generator - This was made for the Pine Wood Derby , but it can work for the Regatta as well. In case some cubs can't make it, print several charts with different number of contestants.

Bring (sample list):

1. Raingutter track stuff:
1. tracks
2. saw horses
3. clamps
4. tarp (if indoors)
5. towels
6. bucket
2. Check-in/Inspection forms
3. coin - for tie breakers
4. straws - for those boys who wish to use them, or if you want them all to use them
5. CD Player/CD - for background music
6. Awards
7. Camera - If not assigned to someone, or just in case!
8. Your own son's sail boat!
9. caution ("flag") tape - to keep people off the raingutters and checked-in boats
10. bag with numbers - for the boys to draw their racing order (1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.)
11. Bring Agenda
12. Check list of things assigned (see sample above) - to check off to make sure nothing essential is missing

Extra, fun stuff:

• We had our boys fill and return this questionnaire after their boats were checked-in. We used their answers to make commentaries during the Regatta. It turned out to be everyone's favorite! (Remember to bring pencils)
• We had the boys sign the track (with permanent ink pens) with their name and date after returning the questionnaires.
• To encourage sportsmanship (and to prevent the boys who were not racing from running all over the place) we assigned "Cheering Buddies" to each one of the boys. We basically had the boys pick a cheering buddy from a bag that had the names of the boys from the other dens. This turned out to be a great experience - the boys really tried to outdo each other with their cheers. We ended up giving an award for the best cheering buddy!

• Allow some time before the Regatta for check-in of the boats
• During check-in, have boys return questionaires and sign track
• After opening excercises, start regatta music
• Assign cheering buddies
• Review racing rules
• Have the boys pick a number from a bag to see who will be 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc. in the race