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Businesses make a splash at Dewey canoe race

Rusty Rudder takes bragging rights for the year
July 18, 2025

Seven teams fought for glory in the Dewey Business Partnership’s annual canoe races July 15, at the bayside beach between the Lighthouse and Rusty Rudder.

In a nail-biting final heat, the Rusty Rudder overtook The Starboard for first place, winning bragging rights for the next year. 

Four of the other teams comprised fellow hospitality workers from Dogfish Head, the Lighthouse, Dewey Post and Paradise Grill, while one, Town OARdinance, included Mayor Bill Stevens and other town officials. Each team had two men and two women.

In addition to earning the first-place badge of honor, Team Rudder, made up of Ryan Konopelski, Kelsey Hands, Rachel Zane and AJ Tazelaar, received a prize package and four free crab cakes from Woody’s, a total of $100 in value. Queen’s “We Are The Champions” played as the team received gold medals.

 

Ellen McIntyre is a reporter covering education and all things Dewey Beach. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Penn State - Schreyer Honors College in May 2024, then completed an internship writing for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. In 2023, she covered the Women’s World Cup in New Zealand as a freelancer for the Associated Press and saw her work published by outlets including The Washington Post and Fox Sports. Her variety of reporting experience covers crime and courts, investigations, politics and the arts. As a Hockessin, Delaware native, Ellen is happy to be back in her home state, though she enjoys traveling and learning about new cultures. She also loves live music, reading, hiking and spending time in nature.