Everywhere quack quack

No bathtub is complete without the ubiquitous yellow rubber duck. Nobody quite knows when the first “rubber ducky'' was produced. But immortalised by Ernie in Sesame Street, this kids' favourite has evolved over the years.

The craze escalated when it was revealed that even the Queen of England had her own rubber duck.

But a duck does not just like floating in a bathtub — it also enjoys a challenge.

Rules

You don't actually bring your duck to the races but “sponsor'' a numbered, registered duck provided by the organisers.

The number on each duck is noted as it touches the finishing line and the sponsor winner gets the prize.

Germany

There is an official duck-racing season in Germany, starting in March, with more than 160 events taking place countrywide.

The most famous is the Tübingen Entenrennen, the ninth edition of which is to be held this year on October 4.

Some 6,000 ducks will race down the Neckar River and the winning sponsor will take home a holiday voucher while the overall proceeds of the race will be donated to charity.

Singapore

Sadly, Singapore's famous duck race performed its swan song last year. The popular race, which, over so many years, has raised millions of dollars for charity, will be abandoned because of plans to turn the tidal Singapore River into a reservoir.

However, there is hope that an alternative venue might be decided upon, so keep an eye out for updates on www.
duckrace.com.sg

The United Kingdom

The Great British Duck Race is just that. It beat Singapore's world record with a whopping 165,000 ducks taking to the Thames in 2007 and this year, the organisers are planning to register 250,000 rubber ducks for the race, which will take place on August 31 near Hampton Court Palace.

The proceeds will go to 440 charities in the UK.
The Royal Windsor Duck Race, an event on a smaller scale, will take place on June 28.

Ocean-going race

This is not an official race but the longest in history. It started accidentally when 30,000 bathtub floaties, which included rubber ducks, were swept off a Chinese container ship during a Pacific storm on January 10, 1992.

Since then, the rubber ducks have continued to be washed ashore — slightly faded but in good condition — along the Pacific Rim, Japan, Australia, South America and Hawaii.

Some intrepid ducks have even braved the Arctic ice, moving from Alaska through the Bering Strait into the Atlantic Ocean, and are expected to land on the shores of the British Isles this summer.

These little adventurers have aided oceanic research, helping scientists understand the variations in ocean currents by tracking their movements.

They have also gone a long way in proving that rubber or plastic is way too durable to be thrown into the sea.

The United States

The website www.duckrace.com lists the various races that take place in the US, which has a long tradition of duck racing.

Notable are the Ken-Ducky Derby — taking place in Louisville, Kentucky, on September 27, with 24,000 ducks competing on the Ohio River — and the Windy City Rubber Ducky Derby — taking place in Chicago, Illinois, on August 8, with 40,000 ducks.

Australia

Due to the difference in time zones, when it is winter at our end, it is the duck-racing season in Melbourne.

The Great Australia Day Duck Race draws crowds on January 28 every year. The event is held in the honour of life-saving activities and environmental causes.

— Ulrike Lemmin-Woolfrey is a UAE-based freelance writer

Shop for ducks

You can start your own collection — buy some unusual rubber duck from these websites:

www.justducks.co.uk
www.rubberducks.org.uk
www.crazyaboutgadgets.com/category/?Rubber-Ducks