A week before the meet it became obvious that this was going to be no ordinary New England Championships. That's when I got my first of five calls from Karl Stephens. Karl and his partner Bob Barnett won the NE Champs in 1988 and since then have repeatedly been bitten by bad luck, nevertheless copping probably more second place canoe-o finishes than any team in New England. Karl had his hands on an article about how to win at canoe-o and wanted to make sure he knew all the rules and nuances in advance. He pointed out that the author of the article, an obscure NEOC member to remain unnamed, recommended pestering the meet director with these very questions!

The Charles River between Route 16 in Wellseley and Moody Street in Waltham is really three different bodies of water with Charles River Canoe and Kayak in the center, almost directly below the junction of the Massachusetts Turnpike and Interstate 95/Route 128. Below those enormous bridges, the Charles flows sluggishly and the air is dominated by the thumpa-whoosh-thumpa of hundreds of vehicles crossing expansion grates way up overhead. Upstream, the river breaks away from the bridges and narrows to become swift, running through the middle of a golf course and woods. Downstream of Charles River Canoe and Kayak, the current disappears in the impoundment of the Moody Street Dam spreading into a series of bays dotted by islands. It is an ideal spot for canoe-o: on-site rentals, complicated shoreline, plenty of portage and running opportunities.

There were two big battles on the river this year, on the Medium-Regular course and in the Championship category. In Medium-Regular, three boats finished in tight order with last year's champion Jon Marold, paddling solo this year, narrowly losing to a tandem team of Jon & Bridget Samuel. Jon in turn closely bested a tandem of Shane & Mike Nachin, Adventure Runners trying their first canoe-o and doing fairly well for rookies.

The Championship course was the most contested ever, with canoes representing three different tactical approaches. Competitors in a tandem canoe can split up with one running to a control while the other paddles to a meeting point. But, a solo canoeist has no choice but to go the long way around or portage the canoe. In addition, this year we had a rare 3-person team on the Championship course. With three people, there is the increased drag of the extra weight but when that person is out of the boat running to a control the other two can move the canoe along much faster. In the end, no one could finish closer than 12% to Karl and Bob, who picked up the 2nd New England Championship they so much deserved.

Gotta thank a lot of people. Paige Williams and Harriet Cohen were super in the weeks leading up to the meet, getting the word out and updating the web site. Donn Springer continues to keep the equipment locker the best organized it's ever been. Paige and Michael Hughes also helped at the peak time of registration and start/finish before going out and winning the Medium-Extra+ category. This despite Paige being 6 months pregnant and getting accidentally pitched in the river by her loving husband. Pete Beckwith arrived just in time to run start/finish so Paige and Michael could compete. Later he went out and found and picked up the direction signs I'd sprinkled all over the county. JJ Cote told jokes and returned the equipment to the locker. He also shuttled my car so I could pick up the controls in one pass rather than having to go up and down the river. Having run this meet solo a number of times it was absolutely wonderful to have so much help this time. Thanks everyone!