Walnut Shell Racing
For some reason, very few people seem to have heard of walnut shell
racing. This is a sport (I can't say a popular sport) from
Seattle (although I don't know where it originated). Seattle is well
suited for walnut shell racing for two reasons.
- Seattle has lots of slopes. (In fact, people will tell you that
Seattle has hardly any level areas at all.)
- Seattle has lots of rain.
When you combine lots of rain with lots of slopes you get lots of water
flowing down hill.
To race walnut shells, you need a racing shell.
- take a walnut shell (an intact half shell of course)
- pour a bit of liquid wax into the bottom (this part is trickier
than it sounds because too much wax will add unnecessary weight)
- stick a toothpick into the wax until the wax hardens
- add a piece of paper onto the toothpick to act as a sail
Once you have your shell, you and your fellow racers find a bit of
outdoor moving water, put your shells in a row, and let them go. Of
course, it helps to determine the finish line before letting
them go.
The course must be chosen so that the racing shells can be rescued from
any storm drains that might be after the finish line.
Go to
David S. Cargo's (Escargot's) Home Page
If you have any comments, you can send email to me at
escargo@skypoint.com
Last modified: Tue Jul 15 21:31:38 CDT 1997