Riverhead Cardboard Boat Race delayed until later this summer

The Sixth Annual Riverhead Cardboard Boat Race, which was scheduled to be held a week from Sunday, has been kicked back until the end of August in the wake of a massive fish kill in local waters.

The event will now take place on Sunday, Aug. 23.

Suffolk County Department of Health issued a recreation advisory on Thursday, issuing some “common sense recommendations” to individuals who may be swimming or fishing in local waters.

The annual event is sponsored by the Riverhead Business Improvement District and consists of several races each year — a youth race, single-occupant races, an “anything goes” and a Riverhead vs. Southampton race consisting of a face-off of the two town supervisors.

News of the delay was first reported by RiverheadLocal.com.

Councilman George Gabrielsen said that county health advisory forced the town to coordinate with the BID Management Association, which oversees the BID business, to find another date for the event — no easy task with a summer full of events in town.

Ray Pickersgill, president the BIDMA, pointed out that unfortunately, holding outdoor events do run the risk of facing problems such as this.

“Like everything else in life, when you have outside events, there’s only person you can count on to help — that’s God,” he said.