Members of the Millennium Falcon 3 working on their vessel for the 2013 Queanbeyan Regatta
Members of the Millennium Falcon 3 working on their vessel for the 2013 Queanbeyan Regatta
TEAM Millennium Falcon is hoping it will be third time lucky when they enter version 3.0 of their vessel at this weekend's Queanbeyan Regatta.
The team, made of brothers Joshua and Ben Hackworth along with mates Michael Burt and Elliot Wandelt-Smith, have spent the last few weekends getting the Millennium Falcon 3 into shipshape.
After two failed attempts in 2010 and 2011, the team hope this new design will bring them some success.
"Our first boat was a single hull with two outriggers, it was built off a couple of old surfboards and it failed miserably," Joshua said.
"It was a complete disaster," Michael added. "We got passed halfway down the river and then it capsized. We flipped it back over and came in fifth."
The next year, the team entered a creation which consisted of three surfboards strapped together and an old bicycle frame.
"We paddled but we didn't go anywhere," Michael said. "All the welds broke and I think we came in fourth in the heat after us."
Although Joshua is a mechanical engineer and Michael a cabinetmaker, the team said this hasn't really worked to their advantage at all.
But with a new mindset and a different approach they may be on to a winner. Their newest vessel is described as a catamaran with a paddle wheel and is made mostly out of recycled timber.
"This time we're sticking to wood, no surfboards and we're going to limit the number of welds and increase buoyancy," Joshua said. "We're going to seal all the holes so water doesn't get in obviously and have a robust rudder."
While winning would be ideal, the team said it is in the friendly competition as well as the thrills and spills they enjoy the most.
"This year we want to finish the race without stopping or sinking, we've always finished but not without stopping. Our aim is to be less entertaining this year," Michael said.
"There's always a good atmosphere on the day and you want to check out each other's boats well. It's not a regatta unless someone sinks, as long as it's not us!"
