In July 1973, an article in Ford Times included an absurd prediction: “It appears tubbing is here to stay.”

Tubbing here refers to bathtub racing, and considering that the same Great International World Champion Bathtub Race is still on for next weekend — July 24 to 26, 2026 — in Nanaimo, British Columbia, the prediction wasn’t quite as preposterous as it once seemed.

Every year since 1967, enthusiastic tubbers have taken to the ocean with bathtubs-turned-boats in a voyage upon British Columbia’s Strait of Georgia. The routes and rules have changed since then — one must now wear a kayaking or motorcycling helmet, for example — but the spirit of ingenuity and tub foolery remains.

The 1973 article describes one previous entry called Strait Flush, which set sail with an entire floating restroom — complete with tub, sink, commode, medicine chest, and even a girl washing her hair. Today’s modifications tend to be more focused on safety and speed, but creativity stays strong in Nanaimo.

Read the story via the Ford Times archive, July 1973. Browse more at FordHeritageVault.com.