Floatzilla: Paddlers get a ‘crazy’ day on the river

Amy Roberts loved the sunny weather and mild temperatures on Saturday, Aug. 19, as she paddled her kayak during the Floatzilla 2023 event. At least, she loved most of the weather. Saturday’s windy conditions topped many of the conservations held by people on the Mississippi River. Paddlers faced a tough headwind as they struggled to […]

Amy Roberts loved the sunny weather and mild temperatures on Saturday, Aug. 19, as she paddled her kayak during the Floatzilla 2023 event. At least, she loved most of the weather. Saturday’s windy conditions topped many of the conservations held by people on the Mississippi River. Paddlers faced a tough headwind as they struggled to get to their Floatzilla destination in Rock Island.

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“It’s crazy out there with this wind. It got real crazy after we got past the Centennial Bridge,” said the Geneseo, Illinois, woman, who was taking part in her first Floatzilla this past weekend. Floatzilla, conducted by River Action, Inc., is the Quad Cities’ annual attempt to break the world record for “Largest Raft of Canoes and Kayaks,” which is currently at 3,151 paddlers, set in 2014. Hundreds of paddlers – most in kayaks and a few in canoes – set off to break that record Saturday morning leaving from six different launch sites around the Quad Cities and ending up at Lake Potter, Sunset Park, Rock Island, by Saturday afternoon. Once at Lake Potter, organizers captured a group photo. River Action officials will review the photo and should know in a few days if there is a new record. An official group photo of kayaks and canoes will likely be placed on the River Action website by next Tuesday, Aug. 29, said Michael Corsiglia, the River Action events manager for Floatzilla. He added that it’s possible the record will be broken if Floatzilla got many last-minute registrations. However, on Saturday morning – just before the first of the paddlers arrived in Rock Island – Mr. Corsiglia said he was hoping the event would bring in at least 1,600 paddlers. “We’ve got to have a lot of late signups to break the record,” he added. Floatzilla, however, is not just an attempt to break a record. The event features a celebration atmosphere with a fishing tournament, camping and community. During Saturday’s gathering at Lake Potter, Rock Island Mayor Mike Thoms urged the paddlers to help form that community by getting to know their kayak and canoe neighbors, especially during the group photo. “When you’re holding that kayak next to you, be sure to introduce yourself. … There’s a lot of good people,” he added. That celebration also was found in the day’s events at Lake Potter. The event featured live music from a DJ, food trucks and a few businesses introducing themselves to the paddlers with tables and tents on the shore of Lake Potter. Many paddlers added to that celebration with their wide variety of colorful clothing and costumes. For instance, Ms. Roberts and her friend, Lisa Benjamin, were dressed as bees with yellow skirts, bee-like antennas on their heads and big, round-frame glasses that gave them a bee-eye look. Other paddlers arrived with big, orange octopus-like hats; their favorite pet dogs fitted with lifejackets; and some came as pirates. One of the best pirate-themed paddlers was Shane Unkel of Atkins, Iowa, who came in his Capt. Jack Sparrow costume. Mr. Unkel was dressed in a tricorn hat, vest, boots, compass around his neck and sword and pistol around his waist. The only non-pirate item in his outfit was the bottle of Mountain Dew in his hand. And to add to the pirate theme, his kayak was decorated with two skull and crossbones flags. Once the pirates, bees and octopus-heads all introduced themselves to the other paddlers, the conversations often ended up on the same topic – the windy day. “It was a good day. The wind was only a slight problem. The only problems I had (on the river) were my fault,” said Mr. Unkel, who has taken part in Floatzilla for many years. For other paddlers, the wind was more than a small problem. “It’s real choppy out there. It’s kind of rough,” said Jeff Schutte of Davenport. “We’ve been doing this for about 10 years.” The wind issue, of course, was considered a bigger problem for paddlers who were on the Mississippi River for an extended period. Some paddlers started their day from Empire Park in East Moline, Bass Street Landing in Moline, Leach Park in Bettendorf and Lindsay Park Yacht Club in Davenport. Others opted for shorter trips with launches from Main Street, Davenport, and Credit Island. And some had very little paddling time as they put their kayaks in the water at Lake Potter for the group photo. “No matter how far the trip, I’m thinking about the paddlers today with this wind,” said Mr. Corsiglia. “It’s going to be a serious workout; more of a workout than what they planned for.”