illustrations by Lorenzo Del Bianco
Local River News East
Open canoe technicians from across the continent gathered in Jonquière, Quebec, in July for the North American /U.S. Nationals Open Canoe
Slalom Championships hosted by Esquif Canoe. The nearly innumerable race classes attracted more than 80 paddlers who steered their composite or plastic boats through, and sometimes around, the gates. The open event started out as a U.S. national championships but has come to include increasing numbers of skilled paddlers from Canada competing in the pan-continental championships. Though U.S. paddlers still outnumber Canadian paddlers by roughly two to one, American Canoe Association organizer Sam Montague sees the event becoming more of a continental gathering every year. “We’re happy to see the sport growing,” says Montague. Next year’s site has not yet been announced. Paddlers involved in efforts to save the Magpie River from a private hydro project have put together a website with much of the information necessary to plan a trip on the Magpie before it becomes yet another series of reservoirs in Quebec. Construction could start next year (
www.magpieriver.com).
Plan a trip on the Magpie before it becomes yet another
series of reservoirs in Quebec.
Members of Canoe and Kayak Nova Scotia have joined together with local fishers in an effort to bring the Sawmill River back above ground. The Sawmill used to run through downtown Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, just across the harbour from Halifax, until the city buried the river in culverts in the 1960s. As
Atlantickayaker.com’s Dustin Barker explains, they are working to reclaim this river to improve fish habitat and eventually build a whitewater course.
With maritime rivers dried up for the summer, Atlantic paddlers have been leaning on the reliability of the
ocean and playing hard at the Reversing Falls tidal rapids in St. John. Expect to see plenty of photos of the area in the future. Paddling photographers Ryan Creary and Paul Villecourt both made trips to snap shutters this summer.
With hurricane season already started, it’s time to plan for the Lawrencetown Surfdown on Saturday, October 15 when legendary Lawrencetown Beach will be thrashing competitors from all over Eastern Canada and the U.S. Lonely women paddlers in Newfoundland can catch up with the River Betty’s at
www.kayakers.nf.ca/ club_activities/Whats%20On%20Calendar/
riverbettys.htm And don’t forget Kayaking Newfoundland and Labrador’s Virgin Wave Rodeo September 3 to 5. No entrants will be barred based on sexual history (
www.kayakers.nf.ca/
club_activities/Whats%20On%20Calendar/
virginwave.htm). — Ian Merringer
ian@rapidmag.com
Central
The paddling community is grieving the loss of Fraser “Fraz” Champion who died kayaking in May of this year (See page 11 for details of the accident).
Friends commemorated his
Andy Walker and Mike Craig, silver in OC2 REC. Photo SCOTT MACGREGOR
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www.rapidmag.com
life with a moment of silence at the Kananaskis Whitewater Festival and with a June 5 memorial paddle on the Ottawa River. The following is excerpted from the eulogy that Fraz’s friend and paddling partner Kevin England delivered at Champion’s funeral in Ottawa: “Fraz was a real gentleman who could bring his own sense of reality to every situation. Fraz will be dearly missed, but his influence on the world will live on forever.” This year’s Gull Fest in Minden was a big success with nearly 100 people enrolled in clinics and trying demos, and many more on the river and enjoying the entertainment. The Big Bass Classic, a combined fishing derby and downriver race, ran again this year to the delight of participants and spectators, and the indifference of most nearby fish. David Nieuwnhuis won the downriver race and Curt Hemmington won the fishing derby with a 2.2-pound largemouth bass. Speaking of large mouths… last year’s champion Ben Aylsworth was forced to share his overall title with Billy Harris this year. They were going to wrestle for the prize money but decided instead to donate it to the Niagara Whitewater Park project. Speaking of which… the Niagara Whitewater Park project is now accepting donations toward the park’s construction—a great way for paddlers to show the powers that be that we are committed to the project.
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