Mark your calendar for the National Canoe Week line up: This event is being hosted by the Fundy Paddlers Club and Canoe Kayak NB for the first time in Saint John. To learn more about why we are celebrating this event go to www.nationalcanoeday.net.

Thursday, June 21 – Thursday, June 28, at the New Brunswick Museum Exhibition Center

In the NBM Foyer, Showcase Exhibit of several models of New Brunswick watercraft, created by Tappan Adney. The book, The Travel Journals of Tappan Adney: 1887 – 189, edited by C. Ted Behne, is available in the NBM Giftshop. Free Admission.

Throughout the NBM, discover stories of watercraft of all sizes, and enjoy Canoe Day Family Activities in the Discovery Gallery, with stories of the Wolastoqiyik and Mi’kmaq communities who call this area home, since the beginning. Regular admission.

Monday June 25^th the Somerset Pub, 229 Churchill Blvd at 7 p.m. has agreed to show the film “Finding Farley”. It is about a young family’s cross Canada adventure to visit Canadian literary legend Farley Mowat in a most unusual way. Admission is free.

Let’s thank the Somerset by going to relax and watch a great paddling film.

Tuesday June 26^th: Start Canoe Day with a Splash.

Come to lovely Lily Lake, Rockwood Park, to celebrate National Canoe Day with a dawn paddle. Anyone with a canoe or kayak, paddles and a lifejacket (PFD) is welcome to join Fundy Paddler Club members from 6:30 to 7:30 a.m. for a relaxed paddle around Lily Lake. Cars should park in the lot behind the Interpretation Center by the duck pond and club members will be available to help carry boats to the lake. Information about the Fundy Paddlers Club will be available for anyone who might like to join. For more information contact Alison at 506 529-3207 or email alisonelizabethhughes@gmail.com

Rumor has it there may be a best photo contest that morning so if you are on water and see flashes…just smileJ

Saturday June 30^th all day fun on Lily Lake with Big Canoe manoeuvres, dance and timed events. Very nice first place prizes will be awarded to 20 and 24 foot class. Some of the off-water events include a barbeque on the beach and rock climbing. The Interpretation Center will run Bill Miller’s film of “Fiddlers on the Tobique” and also the New Brunswick Museum will have some children’s activities on canoe making. If you didn’t get to Vaughan Dunfield’s paddle making workshop you can see and talk to him about his fine craft. He will have lots of paddles on display.

CKNB and Maritime Day Tripping plan to invite the public for a guided paddle tour around the lake after the competition.

FYI: in the weeks prior to National Canoe Week, there will be a number of opportunities for those interested in being involved to get some practice in big canoes with the Fundy Paddlers Club.  In addition, two Big Canoe Instructors, Rob Lemmon maritimeadventure@gmail.com and Gig Kierstead elmhurst@nbnet.nb.ca are offering a number of instruction sessions at a very good commercial rate.

The committee for National Canoe Day hopes everyone comes out to celebrate these events.

Thanks for your support to:

NB Department of Culture, Tourism and Healthy Living

Rockwood Park

Canoe Kayak New Brunswick

Maritime DayTripping

Gibson Canoes

Nancy Clifford

National Canoe Day Chairperson

Fundy Paddlers Club

- Saint John NB June 30 -

In Celebration of National Canoe day

=====================

1) Team composition and Classes of Boats

1. Class 1: Nominal 20 foot–  four man teams —  in canoes from 19 to 23 foot long.

1. Class 2: Nominal 24 foot – six man teams — in canoes from 23′ 3″ to 26 feet long

1. Class 3:  Any length for the final sprint— any canoe that can safely hold ten man teams.

Notes

• This closing sprint is meant integrate the 4 and 6 man teams into 10 man teams for a 300 m dragon boat style sprint in the war canoes… for fun.
• The team captain may make two substitutions during the event.
• The captain is responsible to ensure that that all team members including up to 2 substitutes  are identified in writing to the race coordinator, and that life jackets are worn by everyone.

2) Section A : Precision paddling

The course of buoys will require some set of the following specific maneuvers to be executed cleanly but quickly.

• Fast clean starts: at least one fast start leading to a  short clean run through a string of  slightly staggered buoys.
• Pivots: about canoe center
• Pirouettes: about one canoe end (the  end touching a buoy)
• side slip perpendicular to a dock
• running side slip of half the canoe length
• reverse paddle (and running side slip?)
• Stops: Powerful clean stopping with minimal yaw
• Power turn when canoe is  stopped or  at very low speed, tight quarters, any technique; canoe must avoid buoys.
• Docking: 45 degree turn and stop. ( Don’t touch dock)
• Buoy turns whilst moving at moderate speed  – 45 degree and 90 degree — these are not high speed turns — but the boat should make the turn without significant slowing– and be able to stop abruptly when the turn is complete ! (180 degree turns reserved for high speed marathon style paddling)

NOTES

• Judging criteria: Clean and fast, as in slalom, but penalties for touching a buoy will be severe (20 seconds)   and form must be good.
• Form requirements will be specified at race time: A Paddle Canada  Instructor will judge style.

3) Section B: Power paddling

The course is three  laps around the lake ( approx 10 minutes  per lap) with several 45 degree and 90 degree turns ( and one  near 180) at full speed.

DETAILS

• buoys may be taken marathon style ( ie carved turns at speed — lean away from the buoy),
• buoys may be hit and driven underwater
• course will timed and with a penalty assigned if boats touch each other. Missed buoys (ie they appear on the wrong side of the canoe) have to be redone !
• heats of approximately four boats
• sit-n-switch technique will be essential! Have the extra paddles in the boat or near at hand on shore.

5) Section D: Dragon Boat  style Sprint – 10 man teams — dragon boat style

• 300 or 400 meter full-out sprint — full crews (join the 4 and 6 man crews, or pick up spares)
• Meant to appeal to dragon boat teams.
• fun event- not counted in the team standings this year ( but yields significant bragging rights of a team of erstwhile dragon boaters gets beaten!).

Saint John NB June 30 – Hosted by the Fundy Paddlers Club

In Celebration of National Canoe day

Minimum Team sizes are 4 person and 6 person teams

(You can double-seat folk if you wish but this will slow your canoe in the manoeuvres)

Hi paddlers,

The local club ( the Fundy Paddlers)  has decided to host a Big Canoe Tournament,  to celebrate National Canoe Day ( which is, unbelievably, on a Tuesday, June 26):  So…  on Saturday June 30 we are inviting all clubs , teams, groups, outdoor adventure businesses  to come show their stuff in  ”Big Canoes” at Lily Lake, right in front of Lily’s Cafe with the finest coffee around.  If you cannot get access to a big canoe we may have a spare standing by.

There will be two recreational-competition classes:  (1) nominal-20 footer (19 to 23 feet) with at least 4 paddlers, and (2) nominal-24 footers (23.1 to 26 foot and up ) with at least 6 paddlers – and the course will cover skill elements from four paddling disciplines that normally hardly talk to each other.

• The speed elements will be short and sweet — but fun!
• The manoeuvres will be fun… but perhaps not so easy.
• We may delete the poling component in favour of a demo by a woman form the Tobique, unless folk want it in.
• The intent is — neither marathoners nor finesse paddlers (trippers) will have a big advantage. This will be frustrating to both… and immense fun.

Check the attachment (the draft scope of the Tournament on Lily Lake) and pass it on to anyone who might be interested. It’s a great introduction to team paddling in real boats!   Novices probably should get some basic instruction in canoe control from CKNB instructors ( Tim Humes, Kevin Silliker, Rob Lemmon, Gig Kierstead)… or an experienced war canoe paddler…  and the finesse paddlers should get some introduction to race style from one of the many old grey-haired ex-marathoners around. They are a friendly bunch.

Requests came in immediately for an all-woman class and a seniors class: Sorry, time will be too tight the first year at least. But the rule will no doubt be that 50%  or more of the paddlers must be women, and as for seniors — well, they need not worry. It is the canoe full of grey-hairs that has been cleaning up at the dragon boat festival.

if you wish to volunteer to help, the chair of the FPC’s National Canoe Committee  is Nancy Clifford (nancy.clifford@nb.sympatico.ca): Email her.

Thanks,

Evan Young

Read the rest of this entry »

It’s that time of year again for the early bird registration for the 2012 Atlantic Paddling Symposium. This year the early bird registration prizes are Esquif L’edge Solo white water canoe, Kokatat Drysuit, $250 NRS Prize pack, $300 Snap Dragon Prize pack, and a Werner Sea Kayak paddle valued at $300. There is only one more month of the early bird registration, so act quickly to get a chance to win one of these amazing prizes!

To register online:

http://www.atlanticpaddlesymposium.com/Atlantic_Paddle_Symposium/Registration.html

For more Information:

http://www.atlanticpaddlesymposium.com/Atlantic_Paddle_Symposium/Home.html

Southwest Miramichi River – 2011
St. Croix – 2012

Latest News April 2012

The Canadian Canoe Foundation (CCF) in collaboration with Canoe and Kayak New Brunswick (CKNB) , the Miramichi River Environment Assessment Committee (MREAC), the Miramichi Salmon Conservation Centre (MSCC) and Arpin Canoe Restigouche successfully ran a 7 day canoe trip learning adventure for 10 local (Miramichi) youth down the Southwest Miramichi River.

The objectives of the project are 1) educate the communities of the importance of river watersheds 2) send 10 local youth on a canoe trip learning adventure, 3) conduct a clean-up of garbage at campsites and access points along the river, 4) raise media/public awareness of conservation campaigns.

For 2011, environmental education initiatives during the project included visits to the Woodman’s Museum near Boiestown, Salmon Museum in Doaktown, a visit to the Salmon Hatchery on the Northwest Miramichi (MSCC) and a participatory presentation by MREAC. The 10 lucky youth were provided an environmental education curriculum booklet at the start of the trip which describes the ecology and geography of the Miramichi River Watershed. Structured discussions took place daily, providing the 10 youth participants with an ‘on the water’ education regarding the environmental status of their Watershed and the concrete steps they can take to promote better water resource management in their communities.

The youth were additionally exposed to the heritage of the Miramichi river through visits to Beaubear Island Interpretive Centre and a paddling (national heritage site) visit to Beaubear Island via 26′ voyageur canoe, “Sipu”. The last scheduled event was a visit to Metepeniagiag Heritage Site on the Little Southwest Miramichi. Metepeniagiag First Nations.
Please click here to view photos of the river adventure trip:

http://www.canadiancanoefoundation.ca/photo_album.php?albumid=9

Canoe Kayak NB (CKNB) has been instrumental in having this canoe adventure realized for both the province & the Miramichi area. Canoe Kayak NB assisted with a 1/2 day canoe clinic at the beginning of the adventure. One of the guides was Andre Roy, a CKNB instructor. CKNB is now playing a lead role for expansion of this model to a national level.

After the canoe trip, the 10 River Ambassadors are to present to their schools/community groups and write articles for local newspapers, describing their experiences and newly acquired knowledge about the importance of protecting their Watershed and the Atlantic salmon populations. An important message that will be stressed in these presentations/articles will be that youth and their families have an important role to play in protecting their local waterways.

The 10 lucky applicants, in order to win a spot on this exciting environmental education adventure, had to:

- reside in the designated river Watershed; and
- be enrolled in grade seven or eight as of June of the that year.

Note: All canoe trip costs are covered. The 10 lucky participants only need to cover travel costs to the start and end points of the canoe trip.

Funding for the Miramichi River 2011 canoe trip learning adventure was generously provided by the Harrison McCain Foundation, the RBC Blue Water Project® and Arpin Canoe Restigouche.

Note: for 2012
CKNB is already planning with the Canadian Canoe Foundation for a youth adventure canoe trip on the St. Croix watershed. Please look forward to future notices re this.

Restigouche, located northern New Brunswick, is looking for your support in keeping its wild nature free of logging and mining.  Currently Restigouche is facing an expiry date in the year of 2015.  Last fall New Brunswick had elected a new government and if we speak out now, we may have the opportunity to save this rural area from being destroyed. Restigouche needs your help!

To voice your opinion please visit the site below:

http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2463/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=5922

Since February 2008 when the Heritage Committee took on the task to work towards restoration of some ancient native portage trails in New Brunswick, work has not abated. 2010 saw an increase in workload: trail cutting (Mount Carleton Park & McKay Brook-Gordon Meadow Brook portages), PowerPoint presentations and revisions, meetings, budget submissions and a host of administrative tasks. That workload doubled in 2011 with actual trail flagging (Cains-Gaspereau, Salmon R-Richibucto R) & cutting (Cains-Gaspereau and part of the Salmon River-Richibucto R), major enhancement to the McKay Brook-Gordon Meadow Brook portage (high & low water entrances added to south end, north end shortened and some corduroy pathway for wet areas), follow-up work in Mount Carleton Park, PowerPoint revision and escort representative from Tourism & Parks NB across the McKay Brook-Gordon Meadow portage.

Though there are several strategic and key elements yet to overcome, the Heritage Committee is hopeful to see four (4) trails opened in 2012; specifically, the 4.2 km portage in Mount Carleton Park, the 3 km portage connecting the Miramichi watershed with the Nepisiquit River and the 8.5 km portage (Cains River-Gaspereau River) connecting the Miramichi watershed with the Saint John River via Grand Lake and the 4.5 km portage connecting Salmon River to the Richibucto River.

The committtee has had numerous but productive meetings and presentations with different agencies. This is a short note to inform the membership of the ongoing work but more importantly, to let folks know that the work is having measurable success after 4.25 years of a great deal of work. More information will be forthcoming with future milestones.

One of the successful CKNB initiatives, since June 2010 to the present, is the Big Canoe Program. Initially, it was spearheaded by Evan Young, past president and Gig Keirstead, technical director to establish a Big Canoe Program in New Brunswick. With much appreciated funding by the Provincial Department of Sport & Recreation, (now Culture, Tourism & Healthy Living) phase one commissioned the construction of a 26’ wood-fiberglass canoe from Spirit Canoes, Oromocto.

Phase two of the project realized the hosting of a Big Canoe Instructor School from June 16-20 on Belle Isle Bay. Dave Woolridge, a master canoe instructor, outfitter (from British Columbia) and primary author/editor of the Paddle Canada big canoe program, was the lead instructor. Priscilla Haskins from Alberta joined him. Priscilla is the chair for Paddle Canada’s Canoe Development Committee (PDC).
The first four days of the course included the usual course direction, practice, and sectional teaching, learning, unlearning and re-learning of skills. The course instructor participants presented the fifth day of the course; that is, an Intermediate Trip Leader Development Course, for a number of paddlers from the Fundy Paddling Club (Saint John).

The overall outcome of this CKNB initiative has been very positive:CKNB now has a core of Intermediate Trip Leaders, Advanced Trip Leaders and Intermediate Leader Instructors. With this valuable resource, the process continues to promote and expand Big Canoe paddling in New Brunswick.
In the south there have been a number of recreational paddling runs, training courses with the Fundy Paddling Club as well as scheduled introductory and intermediate big canoe courses in the Passamaquoddy. In notable addition, National Canoe Day for 30 June 2012 will host a major big canoe celebration; see info above on this page.

This CKNB Big Canoe program has fostered growth and activity in the Miramichi area. CKNB, in association with the Friends of Beaubear Island (Heritage Site), has hosted a number of big canoe events and activities: staff development and canoe assessment, Canada Day & National Parks Day, Michael Ignatieff’s national tour, other individual canoe parties and the first Annual Miramichi Big Canoe Challenge, held on 25 September 2010 at the City of Miramichi.

The First Annual Miramichi Big Canoe Challenge was blessed with a day of sunshine, crisp autumn temperatures and hefty competition on the Miramichi River. Eight teams gathered at Bicentennial Park in Nelson, Miramichi to vie for the title and bragging rights…as winner of the First Annual Miramichi Big Canoe Challenge.
There was great teammanship, leadership and laughter from all the competitors and in the end, the Sobeys Green Machine took home the paddle/trophy with a time of 8 minutes, 30 seconds, inching out the JMH Tom Cats (who lead for most of the day). The first prize included a canoe paddle/trophy, individual medals and free registration for the next competition. The youth category was won by the James M Hill High Tom Cats with a time of 8 minutes, 46 seconds, 16 seconds less than the Green Machine.
The 300 plus persons got to see what it is like to be a Miramichier, but also got to live it. Keep an eye open for the next Giv-er on the River episode showcasing the Annual Miramichi Big Canoe Challenge !
The name of the canoe, “Sipu” was chosen from a public contest. The Friends of Beaubears Island Selection Committee used the following criteria: 25% Originality; 25% Creativity; 50% significance to site & project objective. “Sipu” was the unanimous choice !
Official name: “ SIPU” – in Mi’kmaq, means “the River”. Pronounced “Sibu”