Wind and threatening skies might deter Mark and I from paddling, but not others. 278 boats, most with multiple paddlers, took on the Kenduskeag Race on Saturday, paddling, carrying and scraping their way along the 16.5 mile course. It's that sort of dedication which makes the Kenduskeag Race a great rite of Spring!
The day was mostly rain free, but low waters made for a challenging run for the participants, who often had to get out and free their boats.
A few pictures from streamside:
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| An early kayak heads through |
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| Love their expressions... |
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| Does Old Town make a four person Loon? Did the team make this from three separate kayaks? |
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| About half the number of boats from last year, but a good crowd, considering.. | | |
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| A canoeist boosting himself off a rock, probably not for the first time |
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| Gumby! A race tradition! Stuck on a rock - something new! |
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| Having a pusher for low spots was a necessity |
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| Zip Kellogg, standing in his white suit; another tradition |
And yes, the low waters did take a toll on the boats, as well as the paddlers:
Congratulations to the finishers! More complete coverage at the
Bangor Daily News and
Mike's Kenduskeag Stream Race Site. You'll especially want to watch video with the race start and scenes along the way to see how much team 131 had been through by the time I got their picture. Kevin Bennett's video, at the Bangor Daily News site, also features Gumby braving 6 Mile Falls and the four person Loon being portaged. A special congratulations to
Ray Wirth on his top five finish!
Ironically, heavy rain is in the forecast for the next few days; if only the dancers had remembered to ask for express delivery....
Wow! Tough to see water levels that low in the month of April! Kudos to those that perservered.
ReplyDeleteThe red white and blue loon is three boats glued together, I saw it up close at the takeout. The boatbuilder must be good if it survived this year's Rockduskeag.
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