Hundreds paddled the St. Marys River today in celebration of Chippewa County Community Foundation’s (CCCF) fifth running Riverfest, drawing in professional canoe racers.
Some participants embarked on scavenger hunts, taking scenic tours around the river and its islands. Others competed in Communitywide Battleship games at Rotary Lagoon to face off on canoes with water guns in hand.
Several gathered under Marchetti’s Beverage Tent for Yoga and Mimosas. They relaxed and stretched their muscles in two 45-minute yoga sessions on paddleboards.
Two large voyager canoes, replicating 18th century vessels used for trading goods, provided shoreline excursions.
For every 50 people enjoying the water and scenery, there was a competitive racer for whom Riverfest was a matter of tuning boat and body for maximum performance.
CCCF volunteer Jeff Basista recruited 30 professional and amateur racers to paddle in two eight-mile heats, solo and double class.
“Their main focus was the Au Sable Marathon, which happened two weeks ago,” said Basista of a gruelling 19-hour race now in its 75 th year, held near Grayling. “They normally are physically spent after the 120-mile marathon. But the racers who want to stay warmed up, or just simply enjoy the sport, are discovering our river with its islands and scenery. The canoe-racing network has discovered this event.”
Michigan Canoe Racing Association (MCRA) President Lynne Witte of Cheboygan paddled in Riverfest’s two-person race with an amateur racer. Witte is in her fifth decade as a canoeing enthusiast.
She said MCRA is working closely with city and county promoters to get Riverfest on the competitive map.
“My season is the Triple Crown of competitive canoeing,” said Witte. “It starts in New York over Memorial Day, continues on the Au Sable in July, and finishes in Quebec during Labor Day Weekend.”
More specifically, the Triple Crown of competitive canoeing is May’s 70-mile Clinton Canoe Regatta, July’s non-stop Au Sable Marathon, and September’s three-day La Classique internationale de canots de la Mauricie on Quebec’s Saint-Maurice River.
Last month’s Au Sable Marathon was Witte’s 42nd appearance.
“This race in the Soo is nice because it keeps the muscles I need for the Triple Crown in shape,” said Witte. “The St. Mary’s is wide and slow, but waves can bounce off the shore and there can be traffic. Lack of portaging aside, this river is very much like the Saint Maurice in Quebec, which dumps into the St. Lawrence.”
The rest of Witte’s season sees races in Mio, Belaire, and Paradise to bracket the last leg of the Triple Crown in Quebec. Her season wraps in late
September and starts once more in March as the ice melts.
She’s seen and done a lot in her 50 years as a canoeing enthusiast.
“Canoes were built with wood strips, with Kevlar showing up in the late 70s,” said Witte. “Molds that form composites are still made from wood strips. Paddles have
evolved most. And these days there are so many ways people can get into canoeing, or just onto the water via a cheap kayak.”
Her advice to both beginner and aspiring competitor is the same.
“Come to gatherings like this and observe and ask questions,” Witte said. “Today there is a camaraderie supported by social media. You don’t have to learn or train for any of this on your own.”
