What A Blast!

The so-called Hamtramck Yacht Club Race is a misnomer of sorts. There is no waterway in Hamtramck, so the race is held on the streets and thousands of people provide the water, dowsing participants as they race down Joseph Campau Street and back.

Here’s a look at the annual event in photos:

It’s a clear, beautiful day for the annual 2021 Hamtramck Yacht Club Boat Race held on Labor Day Weekend.

Starting at noon, the event featured multiple local bar sponsors. Two person crews pushing carts for a series of sprints from the midway on Joseph Campau St., south one block and looping about for a return and water-logging punishment of the opposite street audience.

The raceway is lined with citizens armed with water balloons and various toys that shoot or expel streams of water – all meant to bombard each race team and vehicle.

The dedicated racing team of volunteers were prepared for this abuse. Some more prepared for the showers and explosion of water balloons than others!

As the race competition escalated, the audience felt even more confident to throw aggressive water balloons. A liberating activity.

The event certainly exhibited the currant Polish and Eastern European majority culture ( less than 60% of the current  (2020) population of 21,365) – at least in the local bars.

A few more recent neighbors participated.

A ship’s wheel and trophy were awarded to the winners, and then people started cleaning up the street, and left quietly, with wet children in hand.

2 Square Miles of the World. Hamtramck is evolving.