Downhill

No, I don't mean life on board New Horizon is going downhill, I'm referring to the 2012 Box Cart Derby!  This downhill event is held every year on Big Hill, outside Hope Town, and it is such a big hit that people come from all over the Abacos to participate or be spectators. All proceeds from the sale of food, drink and shirts, goes to local community organizations. This year I volunteered to help serve the burgers and hot dogs, while Dave worked serving drinks. That's right, I said drinks...alcoholic drinks! Where else can you go to a fundraiser for a good cause such as a school, and find alcohol served?

The variety of the box carts are what we like seeing, and this year did not disappoint. Dave still wants to be a participant one of these years, and he is trying to come up with a way to get a cart here. Below are some examples of the Bahamas version of the Box Car Derby.

Down Deep Island Seafood cart

Hope Town School's cart

This cart crashed and the wheels aren't quite this straight anymore (no injuries to the driver thankfully)

This was one of my favorites, but it didn't roll too fast. Those are bicycle tires around the drum.

Conch Wars. The driver was dressed in pink camouflage. 

 Stealth cart. No one could see the driver inside.

This was more of a skateboard and should have been called "No fear". The driver wasn't even wearing elbow or knee pads.

 

Shake 'N' Bake

 

This is Chloe, aka Dorothy, with her Wizard of Oz cart. She did awesome and looked good too!

 

 No Wizard of Oz theme would be complete without Toto and the Wicked Witch of the West.

I believe this was the Second Place downhill winner and may have won the Slalom Course (we left before the awards were given).

 

 And the downhill winner was...

However, the Showmanship award must have gone to "The Chicken Meets Colonel Sanders." There were even KFC boxes on their cart which was made out of a kayak!

Both the downhill and slalom races were fun to watch, but even more impressive was the enthusiasm and generosity of the crowd, especially after dealing with the hurricane only a month ago.