Holt and Furnell pull off three-peat at Potato Cannon contest
The sun broke out and the cannons roared this past Sunday afternoon for the annual Canada Day Potato Cannon contest held at Brickyard Beach. The goal is simple: who can fire a potato the farthest towards Mudge Island using only hair spray as a propellant.
According to Bruce Taylor of the Gabriola Rod, Gun and Conservation Club, having 21 entries show up this year makes 2012 the largest field of competitors seen yet at the Canada Day contest. And that didn't include those cannons heard firing back at Gabriola from Mudge Island.
2010/2011 winners John Furnell and Nick Holt took home first prize (a sack of potatoes) for the third year in a row with their 20 foot long cannon. The cannon has grown in the last couple years, to the point where it now requires four men to hold it aloft for firing, two of which need wooden supports to reach the barrel.
As per usual, two rounds of individual firings were held to determine the winner, after which the competitors held a mass firing, shooting spud-jectiles in the general direction of Mudge. (Video below)
Afterwhich, as always, there was plenty of cake to go round.
Photos below.
