WORKOUT ON THE WATERFRONT

Saturday, the 14th of March, was one of those perfect Cedar Key days. The University of Florida, The City of Cedar Key, and the Cedar Key Chamber of Commerce held the fourth WOW, aka Workout on the Waterfront event.

The 5K run had about 75-80 runners who ran through historic Cedar Key. 

It seems that some folks were anxious about the Covid-19. The event was not as well attended as in the past but that did not stop those who came from having a good time. Some of the kayakers did not show, but a brave individual stepped up to join the group.  He may have been shamed. He said his wife ran the 5k and he was feeling like a slug. He came in second, and his family was supportive hanging out on the pier cheering him along.

The Repurpose-It Regatta finale was most interesting. Rod Hunt and Franklin Percival’s floating vessel was a frame made from bamboo and the boat itself was a plastic tarp. The whole thing was held together by zip ties, a bountiful amount of duct and a prayer. The name of their vessel - The Cane-Tiki.

Jeffery’s Schleede’s vessel was two recycled oil drums and wood. Before the Regatta began, Schleede was planning on turning the vessel over with the drums on the bottom. Apparently, that had not been tested, so he pulled the vessel to the end. Yes, we all know the bay is shallow.

Mayor Heath Davis and his nephew had a floating vessel also. Davis said as his partner aged, was less time to work on their vessel was available. Thomas admitted that he had a very active social life. Their vessel was made from PVC from clam beds. It seems that some guy named Simon has been on all four voyages with Heath and his nephew.

Dr. Savanna Barry was asked to say a few words before the regata. Barry explained that one reason for this event was to emphasize the amount of trash going into our oceans. Barry stated that, “plastic has been found in the deepest crevices in the ocean to the shallowest of marsh. These events were designed to make people think about any tiny thing that a person can do to protect our bay and our ocean.” So, collect your trash and think about the vessel you can make.

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