The turn out was not quite as high as expected due to the cool temperatures, lingering clouds and threats of rain. However, due to Aim's superstition that putting up tents would ward off the storms, all but the last boat were able to finish before the skies let loose and it turned out to be a rather pleasant day.

There were four courses offered: 1) A "mini", for those just starting out who may just want to see what canoe-o is, with only 5 controls that did no require the participants to leave their boats to punch. 2) The short course, with 9 controls, which required leaving the boat on two occasions to punch land controls, including an interesting visit to a rather exotic northern island. 3) The medium course, which increased both the distance and options available, allowing the paddlers to punch 12 controls of their choosing. This course also included several peninsulas with the opportunity of cutting off some paddling distance with short portages, and 4) The long course, which added a good bit of time and distance to the equation.

Although many people wonder what kind of route choices there could possibly be in a
canoe-o, in talking to people after finishing their courses and asking them how they did it, I found nearly everyone had a unique approach. When paddling down a river, one may not notice all the little nooks and crannies that lead to excellent places for exploration and perfect spots for setting controls.

For those of you who know the now infamous "USOF Team of the Year" Aims Coney and J-J Coté, you may not be surprised to learn that upon the start of the clock, instead of paddling off to control #1 as most people would do, Aims and J.J. grabbed their boat and started running off in the opposite direction. Although they did not run all the way to the other end of the river as some thought they might, they did take maximum advantage of the use of portage and managed to beat the next boat by nearly an hour. (Several teams did choose to do the medium course instead of the long due to time restraints.)

Much thanks is due to both Aims and his daughter Katie for doing the set up, take down (in the rain) and time keeping. I hope to see you all at the next canoe-o on July 25th.