GTVFD Canoe Races

Tonight was the Gunflint Trail Volunteer Fire Department Canoe Race fundraiser.  We had a wonderful turnout of people from throughout the area.  For 40 years, this has been the biggest gathering of the year on the Gunflint Trail.

A great committee of locals has been organizing this event for a long time, some of them from the very beginning.  They have done an incredible job, and we hope that someone from the next generation will take the reins of the event, and bring it into the future.

The event starts with kid's activities, followed shortly by the opening of the food tent.  Most of the foods were made by the locals, and included such things as sloppy Joe's, beans, hot dogs, and desserts.  It was all very tasty.

There has always been a raffle, and in the last few years, a silent and live auction as well.  Most of the items raffled and auctioned are donated by local people and businesses.  There has also been a yearly raffle for either a brand new canoe or kayak.

My job for almost every year that I have been on the Gunflint Trail has been in the rescue boat.  It is a fun vantage point with which to see the races.  This year, I brought my camera along to take some pictures and video as well.

The first race is the long distance.  It starts at the beach, goes around a boat anchored about a mile away, and comes back to the beach.  The next pictures are of that race.

Near the Start

Half Way Point

The remaining races were on the shorter course.  There are male/female/mixed sprints, single paddler, backwards paddling, and gunwale pumping.  Most of the work for the rescue boat is during the gunwale pumping, since the participants stand up on the gunwales (sides) of the canoe and jump up and down in such a way as to make the boat go forward.  That race is also last since so many of the participants go in the water.  For a video of the gunwale pumping, click on Gunwale Pumping.  To see a video of the backwards paddling, click on Backwards Paddling.

Short Sprint Race

Gunwale Pumping

At the conclusion of the races, everyone pitched in for a very quick clean up.  Hopefully, the tradition of the canoe races will continue on well into the future.  Many thanks to the Gunflint Trail and Cook County communities for coming together to support the Gunflint Trail Volunteer Fire Department.