Wacky Handcar Regatta Debuts in Santa Rosa, Calif.

Make was a sponsor of a wonderful event called the Handcar Regatta in Santa Rosa, Calif, which took place practically in our own back yard. Bringing together some of the makers from the Bay Area Maker Faire, and taking steampunk to the public in a new way, the Handcar Regatta used a railway that hasn’t seen much action in a while and invited entries for human-powered vehicles that could travel a short distance down the tracks.
We were all glad to see a great local turnout for such a fun and offbeat event.

And now to some of the contestants. The KrankBoomClank team raced the Hennepin Crawler, which was sporting incredible custom tires.

This gentleman raced a lightweight frame on rollerblade wheels that he pushed like a scooter to a decent speed.

My favorite entry, but certainly not the fastest, was the Viking-powered ship. With oars flapping and feet pedaling, this was one of the largest entry.

I really enjoyed seeing “Spread Eagle” by Bryan Tedrick, out beside an old yellow bus.

We brought the Make truck and Craft contributor Brookelynn helped people make their own moustache.

It was the kind of day where anyone could pretend to be Snidely Whiplash.

We saw our friends at Cyclecide and Neverwas Haul as well as good folks such as Christopher Palmer, LadyBee and Paul da Plumber.