Friday night I stayed at the Nicol Street Hostel near the center of downtown Nanaimo. Before arriving, I imagined it would be jam-packed with budget travelling bathtub race enthusiasts from around the world; so to ensure a sleeping spot I had booked my bunkbed two months in advance. I arrived after 9 p.m. and by the looks of it, the hostel was quite empty! I did not meet any bathtub race enthusiasts and went to bed early, eager for pre-race festivities happening the next day.

Saturday, July 26, 2003

I was up and out of the hostel by around 8 a.m. and headed down to the local grocery store for something to eat. The next couple hours I wandered around like a dorky tourist. I was trying to find the "Official Bathtub Souvenir" Booth so I could find out where the 10 a.m. "Parade on Wheels" route was (and to buy some nifty bathtub souvenirs). I walked along the harbor boardwalk, to the Swy-a-lana Lagoon and surrounding park but did not find the info booth. The only thing I saw happening was a pancake breakfast in the parking lot.

I headed back into downtown Nanaimo and saw one woman in a chair by the side of the road. (Nanaimo folks do not seem to be early risers) I inquired about the parade route and she filled me in, and I headed up to the start of the parade line-up so I could get a sneak peak.

And then I saw her...the World's Largest Bathtub! The one I'd been reading about. I was surprised to find her a participate in the parade. I asked two teenage boys who were "guarding" her if they knew the year she was made. They shrugged their shoulders in unison, and could offer no more help. Later I found out there are indeed two "World Largest Bathtubs" in Nanaimo. The original, a fetching 26-foot beauty, was constructed in 1971, and retired in 1986 as the World's Largest land-based tub. The one in the parade is basically a giant 34-foot bathtub boat that came into the scene in 1987. For the remaining weekend post-parade I saw her zipping around the harbor.

I found a curb to sit on and waited for the parade to begin. Close to 10 a.m., the folks of Nanaimo began to come out in droves to watch the parade. A group of kids and their mom sat next to me. But then a friend of the family showed up with bags and bags of waterballons with specific instructions for the kids: when they see Uncle Johnny in the parade, to get him! With two cameras, I was a bit uneasy about my future on this block, but I decided to stay.

The parade was GREAT!

Highlights include seeing the World's Largest Bathtub coming down the street complete with waving local beauty queens, the World's Oldest Tubber: Jerry Kernen who is 86 years old, and all the tubbers showing off their bathtub boats. Everyone in the parade threw candy out to the crowd. Unfortunately I was surrounded by kids so didn't get any. But I did get a handy pad of paper, and a "Soap's Up" (?) sticker (although others got slinkys and frisbees!). And then, the kids next to me screamed, "It's Uncle Johnny," And there he was, dressed as a pirate in the parade...with a supersoaker watergun. The water war began. I am afraid I did not see much, since I turned my back and huddled over my camera equipment. I survived alright with only the back of my shirt soaked.

After the last of the parade, I followed the end until I reached town to find the Bathtubs and Ballyhoo Street Fair in full swing.


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