Canoe "dry" run

Matt and I took a run down the Hockanum river this past Saturday to get our rhythm set in the canoe and scout a bit for the upcoming races. We'll race the Scantic Splash this Saturday and then the Hockanum River Race a week later.

We ran a few rapids similar to the one on the left... well similar but minus about 5 feet of drop! The Hock has a few drops, but mostly it's tricky corners and some sweeping currents which push you into obstacles. It also features a flat section across Union Pond where staying straight and strong paddling are the keys to a fast transit.

We worked on our communication and re-establishing our feel for the boat so we wouldn't be entering this weekend's race cold. The keys for us in the Scantic Race are going to be staying upright and picking our way through the obstacles. The Scantic is much more challenging from a whitewater perspective than the Hock, it has more and larger drops. Last year we went in the water three times and beyond being very cold (it was 32 degrees), falling slows you down quite a bit. We need to focus on slowing down and setting up each drop better and staying back in the boat to keep the bow out of the water.

If anyone is interested in watching the race, there is a really good spectator spot where the finish line is. The largest set of rapids are right before the bridge and the action there will be a lot of fun to watch. Getting there is pretty easy, and there is some on street parking available nearby. Keep in mind that the bridge over the river will be closed to cars, so whichever direction you come from you wont be able to drive to the other side although you can certainly walk. You can check out http://www.scanticspringsplash.com/ for more details, and use the map below to find your way to the finish line area. Hope to see some folks there. Oh, and if you're looking for us, there will be two guys in a green canoe, both wearing wetsuits, and I'll probably have a red shirt on.

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