This story was updated July 21, 2026 with corrected race results. We apologize for our error.
From feats of marine engineering that sliced cleanly through the waters of Lake Nipmuc to cursed vessels that sunk at the start line, Monday’s 26th Annual Taft Public Library Cardboard Boat Race saw victories, defeats and, well, boatloads of soggy cardboard.
Here are some highlights of the events and the full list of award winners:
Photos: (1) The crew of Lost to Fall Damage paddles back to shore; (2) Taft Library Director Andrew Jenrich prepares to launch the first race of the evening; (3) Gone Fishin’ on its way to the water; (4) The crowd at Mendon Town Beach; (5) The Flannery family pre-race. (6) The World Cubs and Cat in the Hat paddle home from the finish line; (7) The crew of The Cat in the Hat show off their second-place award; (8) Mack Attack being carried to the start; (9) One-man craft, Piggyback Ride; (10) One-man craft, Mellicorn; (11) Returning to shore after taking first place in the One-Man Craft category; (12) Carrying Narwhal and Jelly to the start; (13) Senior Center members hoist The Cat and the Hat to the start; (14) the crew of From Sink to Lobby bring their craft to the beach; (15) Carrying World Cubs back from the water (photos by Martin Luttrell, Sharron Luttrell)
Race Results
One-Person Craft
- 1st place: The Yellow Submarine (Mark MacNaughton)
- 2nd place: Mellicorn (Melly Drake)
- 3rd place: Piggyback Ride (Memphis Drake)
Two-Person Craft
- 1st place: Princess Pirates (Eva Golden and Lily MacNaughton)
- 2nd place: Beak and Buccaneer (Dona Neely and Alden Ford)
- 3rd place: The Wayfinder (Adam and Dylan Rebello)
Three or More-Person Craft
- 1st place: Lost to Fall Damage (Willa and Weston Montag and Ian Butler)
- 2nd place: Mack’s Hero Headquarters (Trevor, Mack and Molly Byrne)
- 3rd place: Sink to Lobby (Cam, Zack and Emi Montoya)
Family Craft
- 1st place: Gone Fishin’ (Sondra, Bella, Olivia, Julia and Gemma Flannery)
- 2nd place: Unsinkable Luau (Willa, Elisa, Laina, Cayla McBee and Pam Kuhs)
- 3rd place: Narwhal and Jelly (Travis, Meaghan, Memphis, Melly and Murphy Drake)
Group Challenge
- 1st place: World Cubs 2026 (Mendon-Upton Cub Scouts’ Fin and Freya Histen, Bodie Gates, Aditya Shenvi, Benji Welch, Jacob Stover, Ava and Emily Horner, Mark McNaughton)
- 2nd place: The Cat in the Hat (Mendon Senior Center’s Peg Nogueira, Paul Bouchard, Karen Mills and Kathy Hunt)
The Judges Panel for this year’s Special Awards were State Representative Brian Murray, Mendon Assistant Town Administrator Jen O’Neill, Mendon Assistant Town Clerk Rory Crisfield, Mendon Fire Chief Jason Bangma, and Jack MacLellan of the Mendon Board of Health. This year’s Special Awards were as follows:
Pride of Mendon Award for most creative design
World Cubs 2026
Captain’s Choice Award for most attractive
Unsinkable Luau
Espirit de Corps award for the most spirited and organized team
Gone Fishin’
Perseverance Award to honor the competitors who never gave up
The Black Pearl (Emily, Ava, Julie and Jim Horner)
The Titanic Award for the most spectacular sinking
Sink to Lobby
The Surprise Award (as in, we’re surprised it floats)
Mack’s Hero Headquarters
Flower Power Award for best representing the library summer reading theme: Plant a Seed … Read!
The Cat in the Hat
Photo top of page: Crew members of World Cubs 2026 carry their boat to the water. (Sharron Luttrell)
