13000 ducks at the ready

At 1:30 p.m. on Saturday May 19, 2007, 13,000 bright yellow rubber ducks, adorned with sunglasses and painted lips, hit Lake Lanier, GA for a race to the finish line. The 9th Annual "Rubber Duck Derby" raised funds to support activities of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Hall County, Georgia.

Each rubber duck in the race was "adopted" by a sponsor who paid $5.00 for the privilege of putting a duck in the race. Each had a chance to win a substantial prize should his or her adopted duck win the race. The proceeds from this year's race are not yet available, but $70,000 was raised in 2006 for the Clubs.

Along with the Derby, the day at Clarks Bridge Park on Lake Lanier was filled with "Family Fun" sponsored by the Gainesville Edmondson-Telford Center for Children and Interactive Neighborhood for Kids. Activities included big blow-ups for children to romp in, and an opportunity to help make real but simple boats. The US Corps of Engineers participated and made two-person battery powered boats available for rides.

Waiting at the finish line

Members of the local USCG Auxiliary Flotillas participated by manning an information table loaded with printed materials related to recreational boating safety. The 2007 Safe Boating Week PFD theme of "Wear It" was the focal point. Many families with young children stopped at the table to talk with the Auxiliarists on duty and to collect materials.

A number of other organizations, such as the Fraternal Order of Police and Safe Kids, also manned tables promoting safety so the RBS theme was presented by several groups.

The 13,000 competing ducks (yes, that's thirteen thousand duckies) arrived at the starting line in a dump truck on a commercial barge. At the appointed hour the truck dumped the ducks in the water and there they vied for a breeze to propel them down the water course to the finish line. The paddlers in five Hong Kong style dragon boats guarded the course boundaries and returned ducks that escaped the confines of the course.

After about half an hour, the adopters of the first four ducks to cross the finish line were awarded prizes. The Grand Prize, donated by a Lake Lanier marina, was a 22 foot pontoon boat, complete with outboard motor and trailer.