The weird and wonderful of the boating world

If a whacky boat competition existed then a sure-fire shoe-in for first place may well be the boat that resembles… well, a shoe. England is the country that can boast ownership of this one - a giant shoe-shaped boat, that has been a contender in the annual Thames River boat race. As for what shoe it very clearly resembles… a boat shoe, of course!

Photo: David Jones

Not to be outdone by the English, the French also have something to offer. Imagine a 1,100-kilogram chocolate boat, complete with sail. The only part that’s not all chocolaty goodness is the frame, which is made of sugar. That’s putting the bon appetit into boating.

There’s plenty of creativity down under in Australia too and a guitar-playing musician can prove it. This strummer was spotted cruising through Australia’s Sydney Harbour on a guitar-shaped boat, which was modelled after his own musical instrument.

Meanwhile, a world away in Palestine, two men took recycling to a whole new level. They fashioned a boat out of recycled plastic bottles and then took it to the waterways of Gaza City. And, in India, newspaper was also put to a creative use for a boat race near Alappuzha. A craft, looking like a folded paper hat, was constructed from one of the country’s newspapers.

Remember the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang flying car? Well, in Canada, that concepts been tweaked with cars able to float. It’s from street-to-sea philosophy, with the converted cars wowing crowds in Ontario. Across the border and head south west to Oregon to sight a pumpkin with a difference. Seen paddling across a lake was a man in a giant carved-out pumpkin.

For photos of these wonderfully whacky boats, click here and enjoy the spectacle.

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