Ignore, for a moment, the fact that it’s still midwinter up north, no matter what the calendar says. Ignore the fact that ice fishing season has been extended for another three weeks in the northern part of our state.
Instead, focus on this. On Saturday, far south of those snowy conditions, paddlers will flock to the St. George River in Waldo County, where they’ll celebrate a spring ritual that many have been awaiting for months. It’s canoe- and kayak-racing season again. Finally.
Saturday marks the 40th edition of the St. George River Race in Searsmont, which marks the beginning of the state’s whitewater season. And despite having retired from his job at the Waldo County YMCA in October, longtime race director Dale Cross will still be pitching in at the event, timing competitors at the finish line.
Cross said the ice went out of the St. George a week ago, and he expects a nice if unspectacular water level for the race, which will begin at 11 a.m. Just off Route 131 in Searsmont. The race is the first on the Maine Canoe and Kayak Racing Organization’s calendar and typically draws 100 paddlers or more. Registration opens at 8:30 a.m. at the Methodist Church on Route 131.
“It’s decent water. It’ll be fun. It’s at a great level for the first race of the season,” Cross said. “Many folks are just digging their boats out of the [snow]banks right now.”
While Cross will still be at the race, helping out, he won’t be filling the same roles he has in the past: He’s no longer the race director and, after tearing his biceps during an indoor soccer game, he’s not able to compete in the race as he had for its first 39 runnings.
Though he can’t paddle, that doesn’t mean he’s not keeping a keen eye on the river.
“I just got back from the river,” Cross said. “I can’t do anything. I can’t get into a boat and make sure everything’s safe, but I have a lot of guys who have been helpful.”
Cross said the St. George offers paddlers a gentle start to the whitewater season.
“It’s a little shorter than some of the other races. It’s about 6 miles long, so it’s a great one to get in and not kill yourself in a 16½-mile race [like the Kenduskeag Stream race],” Cross said. “It eases you into spring pretty nicely. The whitewater is not as heavy and wild as it is on the Marsh Stream and the Souadabscook. This is a little tamer than that. It’s more family friendly, so youngsters that want to paddle [can do so].”
That’s not to say that there won’t be a few paddlers who end up capsizing, and spectators who stop at the Ghent Road to watch competitors head through a set of rapids will see plenty of action, Cross said.
“There’s plenty of challenges, don’t get me wrong. Any time you go into a river like that there’s plenty of challenges and dangers and things like that,” he said. “You’ve got to really be on your toes, but it’s a lot easier than some of the other rivers.”
More difficult races are yet to come, but just getting out in a boat and paddling with some friends is always a special time for the regular participants who show up year after year.
“It feels like spring,” Cross said. “You look outside and it looks good, too. It’s time.”
Upcoming races on the Maine Canoe and Kayak Racing Organization Schedule:
— March 30, 40th annual St. George River Race, Searsmont, 6 miles
— April 6, 46th annual Passagassawakeag River Race, Waldo, 5.25 miles.
— April 13, Eliot Lamb Memorial Souadabscook Stream Race, Hampden, 7.5 miles.
— April 14, Marsh Stream springs and downriver races, Frankfort
— April 19, Kenduskeag Sprint
— April 20, 53rd Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race, Kenduskeag to Bangor,
