fitness paddling: exercise, train, race by kayak & canoe

Whitehorse Daily Star:

Yes folks ... it’s that time, once again.

With snow on the ground and temperatures dipping below zero, it might seem a little strange to be talking about the Yukon River Quest. In fact, most people might feel like this year’s edition of the annual 740-kilometre (460-mile) paddling marathon just ended.

But even though there’s still more than seven months to go until the ninth annual canoe and kayak race, which will be held June 27 to July 1, registrations are now being accepted. Entry forms and other information can be found on the race website, www.yukonriverquest.com. Deadline for entries is May 26, 2007, but teams are encouraged to register early, due to the growing popularity of the event.

Jeff Brady, president of the Yukon River Marathon Paddlers Association, said the River Quest roster was filled up by the end of February for last year’s race, and he expects it could fill up by Jan. 1 for the 2007 event. There is a new limit of 85 canoe and kayak teams, plus voyageur teams. This increase from last year’s limit of 70 teams allows two new classes: an open standard canoe racing class, and an experimental solo canoe class. All boats must meet the specifications defined in the YRQ rules on the website. There also is a limit of 25 solo kayak and five solo canoe teams.

New YRQ rules allow my Kruger Sea Wind in the experimental solo canoe class ...

Solo Canoe Specifications (New for 2007, 5-boat limited experimental class)

This class is being permitted as an experiment in 2007 for the half-decked Kruger-style solo canoes such as the Kruger Sea Wind and the Clipper Sea One, both of which may have rudders. Solo Canoes must be paddled with the use of single blade paddles only.

Solo Canoe Max. Length - 18 feet, 6 inches, stem to stern

Solo Canoe Min. Width - 24 inches, midship at the 4-inch water line.

Sea Kayak Specifications

This race is for recreation or expedition-style sea kayaks only, with closed cockpits. Sit-on-tops or an outrigger-type craft are not allowed. Sea kayaks must have storage hatches capable of storing all the gear required for this race. Kayaks must be paddled with the use of double-blade paddles only.

The Yukon River Quest has adopted its own length-width ratio for determining the suitability of sea kayaks for this race. The simple length to width ratio is determined by dividing the total length of the kayak at the 4-inch waterline (not including rudder) by the midship width at the 4-inch waterline. Do not rely on other published ratios. In addition, there is a minimum overall width. Measure according to directions in the “How to Measure” section of the FAQs.

Tandem Sea Kayak
Maximum 4” waterline length-width ratio: 10.2
Minimum overall width at the widest point: 26”

Solo Sea Kayak
Maximum 4” waterline length-width ratio: 10.8
Minimum overall width at widest point: 20”

Related posts:

• Yukon River Quest is not piece of cake and it is far far away
• Two Virtual Racers Met at 740 km Yukon River Quest
• A New Record in Yukon River Quest in Tandem Sea Kayak
• 75 Teams Set to Race in 2006 Yukon River Quest
• Is Ultra-Marathon Kayak and Canoe Racing Growing?
• Why the Yukon River Quest is Growing?