Baltimore Kinetic Sculpture Race
2007 Race Report — Three about Whales from It Cain’t

Three about Whales from It Cain’t

		Whale of a Tale is the first of a group of three entries from the Team It Cain’t. This remake of the Pequod included Captain Ahab, a complement of six sails, and a charming pig sock creature as a figurehead at the front.
		You can’t have Captain Ahab without Moby Dick. The huge Tail of a Whale dwarfed other sculptures—and cars—through the city. The tail swept up and down as it went, seaweed dripped from its jaw, and the embedded harpoons showed its relentless pursuit by the Pequod. It Cain’t received the Spirit of the Founder award for vision akin to that of Kinetic Sculpture Glorious Founder Hobart Brown. Sadly, Hobart was ill and could not visit the Baltimore race this year; Kinetic Universe President and Kinetic Queen Shaye Harty came from Humboldt County, California and made the selection for this award.
		The third of the It Cain’t Trio was Tailing the Whale, featuring First Mate Starbuck and an oversized cup of coffee. At right you can see the trio making their way down Key Highway.
		Just as a whaler faces damage at sea, so does a kinetic sculpture exiting the water. The transition from water to land is always difficult because sufficient weight and power need to be on the front wheels to pull the rest of the sculpture out of the water. Here the Pequod took damage, losing the lower hull off her bow. She continued undaunted, however, until the mud, where a crewmember pushed from the rear, but she tacoed a wheel and could not complete the race.
		Never underestimate the dramatic impact of a huge open mouth on the front of a kinetic sculpture. It always appears to be swallowing whatever’s in front of it, in this case a Honda or a cooler disguised as a piece of sushi mounted on a crew member’s bicycle helmet.