The following page of thumbnail prints represent three, progressively-larger records for the World’s Tallest Handbuilt Sandcastle. Just click on any thumbnail and see it full-size. Enjoy!
During the 1989 Harrison Open Sandcastle Contest, most of the team entries built central pieces between ten and twelve feet tall. The highlight on the beach was “Feeding Time” by Freddie & The Sandblasters of Victoria, BC. It was measured by Engineer Graham Walley at 15′ 6″. It’s base was less than half it’s height! John Green, Vice President of the Harrison Hot Springs Sand Sculpture Society wrote to the Guinness Book of Records to determine if it constituted a new kind of world record. Guinness wouldn’t accept Feeding Time as a new record, but it did establish the new category along the lines of the Harrison contest.
The new rules said that that a sandcastle must:
-be built only of sand and water
-be constructed without mechanical equipment
-be constructed within a 100 person-hour limit
-not have the base exceed the height
-be measured by an engineer or surveyor
-be certified by an independant source
-be confirmed by local media
This first attempt by the Pacific Northwest Sandshapers collapsed shortly after this shot was taken. Too much bulk at the top could not be supported when the lower forms were removed. Success at last. The PNW Sandshapers recovered from the collapse to finish this castle that measured 17′ 6″. The Sandshapers were a coalition of Master Sculptors from Washington State and British Columbia.
The record lasted from April 1990 ’till October 1991 when another team led by Master Sculptors Freddie Dobbs of Victoria, BC and Ted Siebert of Seattle, WA built “Halloween” and pushed the record to 19′ 5″. Built in front of the Harrison Hot Springs Hotel, the castle stood for over two weeks. The Christmas Tree emerged during the Exhibition in September 1993. Measuring 21′ 6″ or 6.3 metres, it was built and carved by Joe Maize, Ted Siebert and George Pennock, assisted by Rob Cross and Robbie Yates. All this in only 86 person-hours.