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