All the rubber ducks swim in the water. It remains a cheerful sight every year. This time, 5,800 yellow rubber ducks floated across the Dommel towards Eindhoven. On Sunday afternoon, the yellow wobbly floating mass was released onto the Dommel amid great interest. It is an annual competition that the local scouting has to support.
The idea is simple. Before the race, scouting sells raffle tickets for 3 euros door to door in Valkenswaard. The lottery numbers are also on the bottom of the ducks. The fifty ducks that cross the line first will receive prizes ranging from a voucher to a mobile air conditioner.
Broom canoes
After the start in Valkenswaard, ducks get snagged in bushes or inlets every year. These are picked up by the so-called broom canoes. They push the ducks forward again. And the really hopeless yellow ones get a place in the canoe. Afterwards, all the ducks are counted and put back in the attic for a year.
The higher the Dommel is, the faster the ducks reach the finish line. The fastest race lasted half an hour, but it once took three hours for the first rubber duck to arrive. This year it took the fastest duckling three-quarters of an hour.