Blackwater Pyrates count their ducks

MILTON — The civic organization, the Blackwater Pyrates, holds a single, annual fundraiser, the Great Mill Town Duck Race. In preparation for the race, the Pyrates had a duck inventory party June 2 to make sure all of the rubber "racing ducks" are all accounted for and in good racing form.

Pyrate members completed a hands-on inventory of all 4,000-plus ducks.

Every year, one Pyrate acts as the Duck King. This year, Dean Hinton, Pyrate name "Maltese," certified all racing ducks are healthy, and all numbers are accounted for, and are ready and excited to get in the water and race to the finish.

For the race, duck buyers receive a rubber duck with a number. A duck with the same number goes into a collection.

At 5 p.m. July 4, the Pyrates dump the ducks from the Marquis Bayou Bridge into the Blackwater River.

Pyrate members monitor the ducks’ travel in a designated path down the river, which narrows enough to allow the ducks to float single-file.

Email

willwilson2@att.net for information on acquiring ducks. Corporate sponsorships are also available starting at $100.

The fundraiser supports the Pyrates’ three-fold mission of boater safety, river cleanup, and maritime history.

This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Blackwater Pyrates count their ducks