This last weekend, the Puddle Duck World Championships were held on the harbour in Port Alberni, and Rick Landreville from Rosedale, B.C. sailed away as the new world champion.

His large sail was able to take advantage of the low wind conditions and run away with all three heats.

Placing second was local sailor David Whitworth in the Weasel Duck.

Third place went to locals Peter Ferguson and Alexander Miller in The Red Baron.

Even with the “light airs,” the group was able to hold three heats, and Landreville won all three handily.

Utilizing his larger sail and significant skill he was able to capture what little wind there was and comfortably win each race.

The other placers in the race were, from fourth to 10th, Edwin Knight, Paul MacDougal, Don Dufour, Anthea Finlayson (with Lily and Jessica Finlayson in crew), Amanda Salvage (with Jacob and Jessica Salvage in crew), Trina Cote, and Carolyn and David Ness.

As is fitting for the homemade nature of puddle ducking, all competitors contributed a trophy of their own making, and all the competitors got to choose a trophy from the table.

A special prize donated to the race by David Gray of PolySail International was of a complete, brand new sail kit and went to the last place finisher, to help them improve their boat for the next race.

The idea of a puddle duck racer is simple. An affordable sailboat to introduce people to the sport and encourage them to learn more about sailing. For around $300, you can build a fully functional class legal puddle duck racer in a couple of weekends, from simple plans using basic tools that you may already own. For more information visit www. albernipuddleduckracers.com.

Kristi Dobson, For The Times / Two puddle ducks try to race each other against the wind in the harbour during the Puddle Duck World Championships on Saturday. The yellow puddle duck was run by Don Dufour of Malahat, B.C. and the red was run by Trina Cote.;