By Bob Vosseller and Chris Lundy
PINE BEACH – Sandra Rinderer received some exciting news – the kayak rally she organized last August broke the Guinness World Record.
The “Paddle For The Bay” took place on August 20, 2022 and involved the most canoes and kayaks in a continuous, one-mile-long parade.
“We received the official word,” Rinderer told The Berkeley Times. “The total count of boats was 1,105 and the old record of 329 was held in Poland, but now it is Pine Beach, New Jersey.”
Several of those kayaks had dogs in them and at least one had a bagpiper. Attendees were given numbers for their kayaks, and they were counted as they passed a pier. Rinderer said on the day of the event that they ran out of numbers because so many people came. Some of the participants gave their numbers back so the organizers could flip the number over and write a new number on the back. The estimate at the time was around 1,250 people, so they weren’t too far off.
It took some time to go through the count to make sure that the number was correct. The last finisher, for example, got there after the tally.
They joined with area groups like the Pine Beach Yacht Club and the Ocean Running Club to organize it. The Berkeley Township Underwater Search and Rescue was on hand as well as other emergency crews and police to make sure everything was safe. There were no incidents reported.
Rinderer added, “we are still getting participants email thanking us for a great day and we’re still amazed with the wonderful response. We raised over $15,000.”
Unfortunately, this won’t be the start of an ongoing summer activity.
“This was a once in a lifetime event, lots of planning, organizing multiple police departments, water safety crews, volunteer groups, traffic control, and more so I don’t plan on this being an annual event,” Rinderer said.
She said, “it was an honor to work with the Save Barnegat Bay organization staff, they are a great group of caring people that are dedicated to the health of the bay and river.” Rinderer is eagerly awaiting receipt of the Guinness World record certificate.
A $10 fee was required upon registration because people are more likely to go to something that they already paid for. All the money was collected for Save Barnegat Bay, an environmental advocacy and education group.
Britta Forsberg, executive director of Save Barnegat Bay, said last year it was a fun way to celebrate the environment.
“Not only does it help people get engaged, but it shows the love for the river and our bay. This provided education and awareness that what we do when we live near the water impacts its health,” she said.
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