Excellent weather was in store for the more than 300 concrete canoe builders and racers last weekend at the Eindhoven Concrete Canoe Race. They came from the Netherlands, Germany and Poland. “The weather was glorious, the setting was perfect, it couldn't have been any better,” said Derk Bos, chair of the study association KOers for Constructive Designers, savoring the memory. 35 boats took to the water for three different races: the 100 meters, the 200 meters and the surprise race. The first two were all about speed, the last was a playful race that involved 'rescuing' from the water as many inflatable animals as possible.

“The participants started on the grass, ran across the beach in a dry suit to their canoe, and set about saving the animals as quickly as possible,” explains Bos. In total they had to save 15 inflatable animals and 35 rubber ducks. Most participants took part but some boats were already beyond use. “You aim to make a canoe as light as possible, and that means pushing things to the limits. Which means some boats end up being too weak,” explains Bos. The booby prize this year was won by a team that suffered a broken canoe having just transported it, and a second broken canoe on the first day of competition.