Canton Canoe Weekend

(Weston and I going upstream)

Before I get on to this weekend's adventures, I will recap the events of last weekend.  Mike and I, along with 4 other Michigan paddlers loaded up a Ford Excursion with 9 canoes and drove out to Canton, New York.  Once in Canton we did a 14 mile race each day on the Grass River.  

Saturday was the C-1 race, with probably one of the most competitive fields of the year.  The women had a separate starting time from the men, which probably made it less exciting, although more fair.  I stayed in 2nd place basically the whole race- I was able to ride Holly for nearly 10 miles until we got into the "little river"  for the last few miles of the course.  I fell back about a minute in those last 4 miles, but still managed a 2nd place finish- which I am very happy with- especially this early in the season.

On Sunday, I was lucky enough to race with Weston.  We were untested as a mixed team, and had no idea where we would come out in a very competitive mixed field. We had a great start, and rode Tim and Mary nearly up to the top buoy, where they ground out.  At that point we made our move and never looked back.  We ended up winning by about a minute.  It was a fun race, and a great weekend, but I am looking forward to staying in Michigan for a whole week!

Run of the Charles

I am in between two of the biggest travel weeks of my canoe racing season for the year, also two of the more competitive races.  Last weekend, Mike and I, along with some friends, loaded up the boats and drove out to Boston for the big race on the schedule- the Run of the Charles.  The field wasn't very large, but every team their is vying for a top spot.  In addition to 24 miles of paddling, this course contains six pretty long portages, adding an additional challenge.  My partner Nick and I had been doing some portage practice together, and I think it paid off, with a 1st place in the mixed division, and 8th place overall.  Mike had a solid race, finishing 5th, and was really glad to have some time in the boat with Sam since they are racing one of the Triple Crown races together this summer. 

(Nick and I running the 3rd portage - PC Adam/Kelly Gelinas)

This week I received a package from my canoe sponsor Stephen Lynn Handmade Knives, and I couldn't wait to open it.  For the last few years, Stephen has made me a knife of my choosing, in exchange for putting a sticker on my canoe.  He makes a lot of hunting/fishing and camping knives, and this year he made me a chef's knife.  It has a beautiful Buffalo Horn handle, and I can't wait to start using it.  If you are interested in a top quality knife, you can't go wrong in checking out his page.  

(Stephen Lynn Chef's Knife)

This weekend we are off to Canton, New York for one of the biggest C-1 races in the country.  Mike is excited to see how he stacks up against the top men this year, and I am eagerly anticipating a race with some of the toughest women in the sport. It will be a good test for the races in the coming months.