Fort Wayne Canoe and Kayak Race 6.15.24
This year’s Fort Wayne Canoe and Kayak races, hosted by Lori Schaffer, were reported to be rather drama-free. Turnout was a little lower this year than in past years (I’m guilty myself, as I had another commitment this year), but the quality of the competition was quite high. Nice weather overall as well, although it did get into the lower 80’s during the day. As usual, water levels were great, winds were moderate, and nobody swam or converted a perfectly good canoe into a pile of carbon rubbish. There was one boat issue, however: you’ll note Matt Conrad was somewhat further back in the pack than usual. I understand he had some issues with a loose rudder housing that caused him to fight directional control of the boat the whole race. I’m impressed he hung in there with that kind of a challenge! Brent Ernsberger returned to the K1 Unlimited class (I believe Brent still owns the course record from several years back), paddling a kayak he just purchased from Bill Kanost. There’s an unwritten law that race kayaks and canoes, once obtained, must remain in circulation among the local racing community.
Larry Swift lived up to his last name, putting in a very fast sea kayak time and taking first overall. But he had to work for it, as local legend John Christensen was hard on his tail, lagging by only 10 seconds. Bill Kanost couldn’t quite pull in those fast sea kayakers, but he still dominated the C1 class, coming in ahead of Paul Kane, Jeff Poland, and Dwight Walker. Deb Kanost was a force of one among female competitors, but she did put in a very respectable time and arrived roughly mid-pack. Roger arrived at the end, paddling sweep and encouraging Matt Conrad along the way. Still racing at 83(!), Roger always impresses me with his paddling skill.
Many thanks to Lori for her efforts in putting on another fine race. And to Julie Birge for once again helping with the timing! Results are shown below.
Steve
Race Course Photo by Steve Horney
K1 Sea Kayak Man
Larry Swift 1st 1:35:40
John Christensen 2nd 1:35:50
Matt Conrad 3rd 1:57:52
Roger Crisp 4th 2:09:12
K1 Sea Kayak Woman
Deb Kanost 1st 1:42:30
K1 Open
Brent Ernsberger 1st 1:45:05
C1 Man
Bill Kanost 1st 1:38:00
Paul Kane 2nd 1:39:10
Jeff Poland 3rd 1:40:27
Dwight Walker 4th 1:44:27
