Whatever floats (or sinks) your boat

The PNC Bank boat, the S.S. Virtual is captained by Tony of The Arnette House during the 3rd annual Arnette House Regatta in Lake Weir at the Carney Island Recreation and Conservation Park on Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021. A total of 8 boats competed in the Regatta and 4 of the boats were built in the Arnette House vocational program. The event raised $10,000 for the Arnette House through the boat entry fees, sponsors who added more donations and food sales. (Courtesy Photos From The Arnette House).

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Posted September 24, 2021 | By James Blevins
james@ocalagazette.com

The Third Annual Arnette House Regatta was successfully launched on Sept. 18 at Carney Island Recreation & Conservation Park on Lake Weir.

The event asked boaters with little to no experience to build seaworthy crafts from just about anything they could find.

A total of eight boats entered the third regatta, according to Cindy Moore, community outreach and development coordinator at Arnette House.

The eight boats were PNC Bank’s “S.S. Virtual;” Carmen’s Carmart’s “Budget Boat;” Millers Boating Center’s “S.S. Pipeline,; “Landshark” by Scott and Jeremy Feil; Runaway Campers’ “S.S. Rowaway;” Tim Babiarz Law Firm’s “The Tortanic;” TD Bank’s “Legendary Leader;” and Teen Build’s “Noodle Dreams.”

All money raised during the event went to the nonprofit Arnette House, which was established in 1981 and offers emergency shelter for runaways, homeless and at-risk adolescents in Marion County.

The first regatta took place in 2018 and raised $6,000. The second in 2019 raised $8,000. The third was scheduled for 2020, but the pandemic forced organizers to cancel the event.

This year’s regatta had already raised close to $9,000 before the Sept. 18 race.