According to the Floatzilla Facebook page, 225 paddlers were signed up on August 2, just 19 days before the event. Venture Outdoors records show that two weeks prior to their attempt, 1,105 were registered—the exact number needed to break the record.

“We wish them luck, of course,” said Jon Lucadamo, Program Director at Venture Outdoors and one of the masterminds behind Venture Outdoors’ June 5 attempt. “But we also really wouldn’t mind if our record stuck on the books for a while.”

Floatzilla’s official website, www.floatzilla.org, features a shout-out to Pittsburgh for “raising the bar.” Linking to the time-lapse photography of paddlers merging together and scattering when the rain starts, the site author wrote,

“If you care to see what a world record attempt looks like just check out this video of Paddle at the Point.”

Darn right! Paddle at the Point and Floatzilla originally set out to beat the same record: 1,104 canoes and kayaks set in 2008 in Inlet, New York. Cross your fingers for the Midwest as they set out to raise the bar even further in the coming week!

It’s even better in HD, download the HD version here: http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~gigapan/timelapse/flotilla-timelapse-1080p.mp4

We’ve had an overwhelming response over the past month, bigger and better then we ever imagined!

The Guinness World Record™ for Largest Raft of Canoes/Kayaks is currently held by a group in Inlet, New York. They assembled 1,104 boats on Fourth Lake. Our region’s old rival, Cleveland, held the record previously with 776 boats.

We’re on track to smash the record: As of this writing, nearly 2,000 people have signed up to participate in the Pittsburgh region’s Paddle at the Point!

But wouldn’t you know it, there’s already a group nipping at our heels. We hear rumors that the Quad Cities region in Iowa and Illinois is organizing an attempt later this summer they’ve dubbed Floatzilla.

While we hope everyone who participates in Floatzilla has a fun and safe day on the water, we want the Paddle at the Point record to last. Let’s show the world what Pittsburgh is made of and blow that record out of the water, by getting out on the water!

Remember Friday at 10:00 AM is your last chance to register!

If you’re planning on signing up for Paddle at the Point please do so soon! We’ll be sending out several email updates over the next week with important logistics information.

If you’re already signed up and requested to rent a boat, but haven’t paid for your rental, please do so now. Click the red ‘rent your boat’ button on the right side of the screen and follow the directions.

Currently over 1,300 boats and many more people are signed up to help break a World Record on the waters of Downtown Pittsburgh. If you’re keeping track, YES, that’s more then the previous records set in New York and Cleveland! Great job everyone!

Registrations are still rolling in, and we hope you’ll keep spreading the word. We’re aiming to break the record by several hundred; we want Pittsburgh’s World Record to last!

The record attempt was conceived by Venture Outdoors as a way to raise awareness of World Environment Day and give the region’s residents, regardless of age or ability, a chance to celebrate the outdoors together. Sally Newman is one good example of the range those ages may reach.

Newman, a retired Intergenerational Studies professor at Pitt, will turn 81 on June 4, the day before Paddle at the Point. That evening, she and her husband plan to attend the symphony to hear Beethoven’s 9^th. The evening of June 5, post-record attempt, they intend to paddle downtown and see the Zambelli Brothers light up the sky above PNC Park during a Fireworks Paddle with Venture Outdoors.

Newman insists that there’s nothing exceptional about her active lifestyle. She has a “lousy back,” but loves to be outdoors. A week-long family vacation of backpacking and kayaking in Alaska stands out as one of her most memorable experiences. Could breaking a world record cause a similar thrill?

“More people my age should go!” said Newman. “We’re outdoors folks … but it’s not that we’re great.”

Of course, she’s has a point. No experience is necessary to take part in the event and it won’t be particularly strenuous, so it’s welcoming to beginners of all ages. To participate in a kayak or canoe, individuals need only be at least 3 years old and 35 pounds, And although paddlers won’t travel far or fast, two-seater tandem kayaks offer families or couples, like the Newmans, a way to keep an eye on each other.

Paddle at the Point
Saturday, June 5 is World Environment Day and Venture Outdoors and its 30 plus outdoor partners are taking over Pittsburgh’s three rivers in an attempt to set a new Guinness World Record^TM for the largest kayak and canoe flotilla in the world. 1,200 kayaks and canoes are needed as we set a mark at the confluence of the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio Rivers to beat a record that was previously held by long time arch nemesis Cleveland!

Don’t have a boat? Don’t worry. Sign up early and rent a kayak from Kayak Pittsburgh before they’re all gone. We’ll need everyone and anyone, clubs and groups welcome! Parking will be offered for free on the North Side and we’ll shuttle your boat to the landing for launch. Be part of history in the making and celebrate World Environment Day in Pittsburgh with Paddle at the Point!

We’re looking for local clubs, groups or organizations that want to become a part of history! There’s no experience necessary so bring your book club, youth group or scout troop. Join the ranks and we’ll announce any club or organization  on this website to help spread the word  and rally more paddlers.  And we’ll keep running list of all the groups attending so you can see who’ll be there.