Low water conditions, cold temperatures and a steady rain weren’t enough to dampen racer or “river vulture” turnout on Saturday for the 47th Kenduskeag Canoe Race that finished downtown, where the stream meets the Penobscot River.
According to race officials, just about 742 racers took to 402 boats at the start of this year’s 16.5-mile race in Kenduskeag. Nearly all of them finished.
That’s up from last year, when 668 paddlers in 359 craft took part.
“This year, I think we had the fewest no-shows ever,” said Race Director Debbie Gendreau, of the Bangor Parks and Recreation Department, which puts on the yearly race.
Gendreau said the low water conditions did cause some of the larger five-to-seven-person teams — in what are known as “war canoes” — to split up into multiple, smaller race teams. The larger canoes would draft too much water and bottom out on rocks in the shallow water.
Preliminary results indicate Trevor MacLean of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia once again had the fastest overall time, clocking in at 2 hours, 20 minutes. It’s the 18th time the solo kayaker has won the race. With higher, swifter water last year, MacLean was able to finish the course in just 2 hours, 10 minutes.
Tandem canoeists Ben Randall and Hank Thorburn had the second fastest time at 2 hours, 26 minutes, while the canoeing team of Jeff Owen and Hanna Rubin were third at 2 hours, 33 minutes.
Perhaps due to the wet weather, there seemed to be fewer zany costumes than usual this year. Still, David King and his extended family all dressed as pirates and flew Jolly Roger flags from their two canoes. King, of Portsmouth, New Hampshire said the rain wasn’t a problem, at all.
“No way,” he said. “We’re going to get wet anyway. I just feel bad for the folks watching in the rain.”
At Six Mile Falls, a traditional gathering place for spectators expecting mishaps, known as “river vultures,” a smaller-than-normal but hearty group cheered each time a craft spilled its occupants into the frigid water, then applauded again when they righted themselves, bailed the water out and got going again. Some vultures clutched coffees or hot chocolates against the chill. A few others sipped surreptitious hard seltzers, listening to boomboxes, in full party mode.
Standing on the bridge, Eli Meserve, 8, was watching the race for the first time, clearly loving the excitement, even in the rain.
“I think I might try it someday,” Meserve said, “but I don’t want to be cold.”
At the finish line, University of Maine classmates Cade Ennis, Josh Fragola and David Jakacky stood wet, shivering and smiling, recounting their thrilling experience.
“It was brutal,” Ennis said, of the rapid below Six Mile Falls which flipped their three-person canoe.
“I don’t really know what happened,” Fragola said. “It was fast.”
“At least we finished,” Jakacky said. “That means we win, I think. All we lost was a shoe and one of our paddles.”
Gendreau said she was happy with how this year’s race turned out despite the weather and water conditions.
“What better way can you spend a rainy afternoon in Bangor?” she said.
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