ROCKPORT — It was pure August in Maine Sunday afternoon at Marine Park in Rockport, where racers with the annual stand-up paddle board Lobster Cup blended with children rounding — and sinking — buoys in their own cardboard boats, and onshore, a breeze of mellow music performed by the 10-piece Monarck Lisa filled the air.

The day was a homegrown affair, celebrating the harbor and the town, with food supplied by the students gearing up for next year’s Japan exchange program with Camden-Rockport Middle School. 

Students and parents cooking included Michael Tausek, Tanner Castellano, Mason Bloomquist, Sarah Fiske, Annabelle Williams, Annika Charland, Alec O’Dwyer, Nicholas Tausek, Barbe Fiske and Todd Williams.

Amidst the activity were individual kayakers and swimmers, enjoying the water, while small boats weaved around moorings, walkers strolled through the park, and children climbed over the train.

Others sat on the benches or grass, reading, talking, listening. It was a perfect day, and after races were done, no one was in a hurry to go anywhere.

Monarck Lisa hails from the West Bayside and is a multi-piece Portland-based band. They played their own arrangements during the afternoon, as paddle boarders with the annual Lobster SUP Cup competition wound up a weekend of racing on Penobscot Bay.

The first annual Rockport Cardboard Boat Regatta, a build-your-own cardboard boat race, began at 1 p.m., from Goodie’s Beach. The race was summer’s version of the popular winter race at the Camden Snow Bowl.

Get moving, Celebrate Rockport is the community's nod towards its 125th birthday, which officially takes place next winter. In 1891, the Rockport side of Camden (then one town) was split from Camden proper by the Maine Legislature, and became its own municipal entity.

There were few rules associated with the cardboard boat construction, except that each boat was required to have a floatation device attached to it — the purpose: to easily locate and retrieve sunken boats. During the competition, the crew was to remain in the boat, not towing it, pushing it, or anything else weird.

Kicking off the first annual Goodie’s Beach regatta were:

Oliver Kastle, aboard the Evil Dragon

Hollis Schwalm, Anchors Away

Molly O’Dwyer, Luca the Seal

Oliver Lee

Brian and Charlie Leonard, Dragon Boys

Brodie and Rocco Scala, Dragon Boy

Reid Chester, USS Torpedo