Students Give Valiant Effort at ECE Boat Race By : Daniel Lee

Daniel Hand physics students were looking to repeat as champions in the UConn ECE Cardboard Boat Race held at the Avery Point campus in Groton Friday, Sept. 19. While they didn’t win, all three boats floated and two finished the race.

Two AP physics classes, along with members of the DHHS engineering club, and led by teacher Mrs. Britchi, worked hard to gather necessary materials and create designs to build a boat made of only cardboard and duct tape. The boats must place in the top two of a qualifying heat, and those who advance compete in a final race in which the victor is crowned the champion with the Card Board Boat Race Trophy.

“Alex Khacherian finished fifth in his heat because the pontoons were knocked out at the beginning of the race and then they got stuck in the buoy when making the first turn,” said Britchi. “He had a very good chance at winning otherwise. The race was very close!” Alex was the captain of The Nauti Buoy built by Period 4, UConn/AP Physics with Calculus.

The race course takes students from the beach into the Long Island Sound, where they have to row around two buoys before returning to shore. To participate, the competitors must provide their own paddles and life jackets.

Senior Grant Campbell, who was in the boat built by the Period 6, UConn/AP Physics (with Algebra), named The Codfather, was working to ensure his boat would be finished on time. “I taped cardboard rolls together, and went to the shop and got the pieces cut,” Campbell said. But in case of failure, he is prepared: “If the boat sinks and it’s awful, I’m the best candidate because I can swim.”

Unfortunately, The Codfather finished upside down. Britchi said, “Grant really did his best and passed the finish line after paddling on the upside down boat. The boat had too much buoyancy and we were worried about it. Too bad we did not think about adding a second person in the boat until after the race.”

The boat belonging to the DHHS Engineering club was headed by club leader Daniel Shenouda. Ms. Britchi said they “had a decent boat that moved very well in the first part of the race” but the boat became unstable and the back boat started to sink. It was the only boat that did not have duct tape inside, so once the water got into the boat, the boat waterlogged and disintegrated in the first half of the race. “He really tried his best paddling with the boat half in the water,” said Britchi.

These Students were hoping to repeat the success of the previous year’s champion, Usain Boat, built by the Engineering Club and captained by Will McGuire. Had Hand gone back to back, they would have tied with The Morgan School for the record for consecutive wins. In 2026, the goal will be to bring the Card Board Trophy back to Mrs. Britchi’s room.