GOINGS ON / SANTA BARBARA : Paper Ships : A contender’s taste for saltwater surely goes with a Semana Nautica taste for cardboard kayaking.

Sure there are people who can jump into the ocean and swim six miles. And, of course, there are others who will run out for a 15-kilometer race. But how many people can build and ride a cardboard kayak?

The 55th annual Semana Nautica, Santa Barbara’s nine-day sports festival, which begins Saturday, offers the athlete and the sports fan everything from swimming, water polo and jet ski races to running, volleyball and soccer competitions. Among the more non-traditional contests is the Cardboard Kayak Race, from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday at the east side of Stearns Wharf.

Up to 15 teams of three members each will have 45 minutes to build a kayak using a 13- by 5-foot sheet of cardboard, a roll of duct tape, a razor knife and a marking pen, said event organizer Mark Olson, who drove all the way to a cardboard manufacturing plant in Orange County to obtain sheets big enough for the event. Then, based on the audience’s applause, entries will be judged in categories such as: Kayak Most Prone to Be Like the Titanic, Kayak Most Resembling a Jack-in-the-Box Taco, and Most Original Team Name. After the judging, the teams will paddle their creations about 25 yards into the Pacific and then back to the beach.

“You’d be surprised how many of these things make it back to the finish line still above water,” Olson said. “I figure about 80% survive. The trouble is, once they get soggy, you got to just swim and haul them back.”

After the cardboard kayak race, some of the participants will get into real kayaks and continue on to the Kayak Water Polo meet from 2 to 4 p.m.

For some underwater adventure, there will be a treasure hunt at Refugio State Beach at 10 a.m. Saturday. Divers will search for numbered items planted in 20 to 30 feet of water. These numbers correspond to thousands of dollars in prizes donated by local merchants. A barbecue will follow from 1 to 5 p.m.

For a complete listing of Semana Nautica events and possible last-minute entry forms, call 564-2052.

The annual Sandcastle and Sculpture Contest scheduled for Sunday as part of Semana Nautica was canceled due to a shortage of entries. “There’s a lot of interest in watching, but no one wanted to make the sculptures,” said organizer Sarah Clayton. “This event has had its time.” No decision has been made whether to hold the contest next year.

In commemoration of the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ first sailing to the Americas, a four-day program “Columbus and After: Rethinking the Legacy,” will be held Wednesday through July 4 in Santa Barbara. There will be a series of outdoor evening performances from 7 to 9 p.m. at De La Guerra Plaza as well as daytime workshops throughout the community.

At the four evening shows, four notable historical figures will come to life in dramatic recreations of history: Christopher Columbus (Wednesday); Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce Indians (Thursday); Father Junipero Serra, founder of the California mission system (Friday), and Jessie Benton Fremont, 19th-Century advocate of expansionism (Saturday).

“Columbus and After” is a joint project of the California Council for the Humanities and the Oregon Council for the Humanities. The program will travel to seven California and Oregon cities, with Santa Barbara as the first stop. All shows and workshops are free. For information, call 965-0093.

Celebrating its 101st year, the Santa Barbara County Fair, which runs from Friday to July 5 in Santa Maria, will kick off with a Kid’s Day. In addition to numerous special activities, children under 11 will be admitted free and they will be offered an unlimited carnival rides wristband for $10. Other fair highlights include concerts by Wynonna Judd, Monday at 8 p.m., $9.50 to $17; Johnny Cash on Tuesday at 7 and 9 p.m., free; and Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers, July 2, 7 and 9 p.m., free.

General admission to the fair is $5. 925-8824.

The Santa Barbara Therapeutic Riding Academy will present “Festival in the Park!” Sunday, noon to 6 p.m., at its facilities in Toro Canyon Park in Montecito.

Actress Bo Derek will serve as honorary chairwoman for the second year. She will introduce the equine demonstration accompanied by her award-winning horse. The festival will also feature live music, food, rides, a petting zoo, pot-bellied pigs and a variety of games with prizes. The Valley View Vaulters, seen nationally in parade competitions and television, will demonstrate gymnastics on horseback. Members of the team range in age from 3 and up and some are disabled.

The Riding Academy provides horseback therapy for physically and mentally challenged people. It’s in its seventh year of operation and has grown to be the largest center of its kind in the country. Admission to the festival is $2. 563-1222.

The Music Academy of the West will open its Summer Festival performance series with a chamber concert on Tuesday. The festival, which runs through Aug. 17, includes six chamber concerts, three orchestral concerts, an Opera Gala, a Concerto Night and the Concert Competition Finals. The Academy is a private summer music conservatory for gifted students who are invited to the Summer Festival through an audition process.

The six chamber concerts will be held on consecutive Tuesdays at the Music Academy’s Abravanel Hall and audience members are invited to picnic on Academy grounds prior to the concert. Tickets for the chamber concerts are $15, 963-0761. For information call 969-4726.

Three new exhibits will open at the Contemporary Arts Forum on Saturday.

* Candace Heidenrich, who lives in Ojai, used materials such as wire, bubbles, fingerprints and steamy windows to create installations that express her interest in the “remainders and reminders of creation and loss,” she said.

* Kathryn Clark will present “Homeland,” a new installation combining photographs, text and selected objects created specifically for the forum. The exhibit will explore the shift in meaning from the notion of homeland to homestead to real estate, through the experience of groups such as American Indians, farmers and ranchers. Some aspects include disputes over land rights and the sense of loss that occurs when people are separated from the land.

* “Artist, Mentor and Children of Light” is an exhibit by Montessori Center School children created through a unique artist/mentor relationship with their teacher, Tika Solnar.

There will be a reception for the artists on Saturday from 5 to 7 p.m. Admission to the forum is free. 966-5373.