REGISTRATION 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. on race day at the starting point  Cost is $20 per craft and entrants must be members or affiliated with a member.   Each person must wear a PFD and sign a disclaimer for insurance purposes Each boat should have a 15 M. buoyant line and a sound making device CANOES to be 12’ -18’ length; non racing; starting race official to settle category conflicts Placement into the following categories by the race officials CATEGORIES  (change yearly based on popular demand) Junior; 2 competitors per canoe; age 15 or under. Senior’s male; 2 competitors per canoe; age 50 or over. Senior's female; 2 competitors per canoe; age 50 or over. Women’s two females any age; per canoe. Men’s two men any age; per canoe Mixed two (male and female) any age; per canoe Junior Kayak containing 1 person; age 15 or under. Men's Kayak containing 1 person; any age. Women's Kayak containing 1 person; any age. Open; any type of craft not fitting into above categories occupied by one or more individual or family group of 3 or more (maximum 2 awards)   STARTING Race officials will number boats 15 minutes before starting times. Teams will be started at interval times decided by the race officials. A 15 second warning will be given before starting THEN: 5-4-3-2-1 GO (launch boat) ON THE COURSE When two boats meet the faster boat has the right of way. DO NOT block passage or create unnecessary hazards. FINISH A rope will be tied across the finish line. When the front of the boat crosses under the finish rope the time will be taken. To help race officials please yell your boat number upon finishing. PRIZES The winning time in each category will receive paddles (Kayak – 1 &  Canoe – 2). Each participant will receive an official crest. The top 3 teams in each category will receive a maximum of 2 medals.

 

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Our 50th Anniversary of the Salerno (Devil’s) Lake Canoe Race was in 2017

 

by Sydney Clark (with input from Rob Stuart)

 

Back in the summer of 1967, the executive of the recently formed Devil’s Lake Cottagers’ Association, led by Jack Thompson, wanted to do something special to mark the country’s 100th birthday. They also wanted to cre-ate an event that would bring the members of the fledgling organization together in a festive and fun-filled manner. Some people had made the paddle from Irondale to Furnace Falls each year and felt that turning that experience into a friendly race might be just the ticket. Other lake associations held regattas on their lakes, but those lakes had geographical features like beaches or landings from which a regatta could be mounted. Sa-lerno Lake (or Devil’s Lake as it was then known) had no such feature so the decision was made to sponsor a canoe race down the Irondale River from the bridge at Irondale to Furnace Falls, a distance of ten kilometres. Jack and Betty Thompson organized the first race and Rob Stuart and his team began marshalling and organiz-ing it in 1972 and have continued to do so until the present.

In the beginning, Joe Hancock gave permission to launch the race from his property east of what was then the Bailey Bridge. When the numbers of participants increased, an “in canoe” launch on the west side of the new bridge began. Rob obtained permission from the owner at that time and, with a crew, he weed whacked the start area. Property changed hands again and Rob could not contact the owner so the marshalling moved to the road-side of the fence.

The race has been an annual highlight of the summer ever since 1967, with the participants vying for awards that have become cherished decorations in their cottages. Initially, from 1967 to 1973, there was only ONE category, Men’s. Now there are ten including Men’s, Women’s, Senior men’s, Senior women’s, Mixed, Junior, Open, Men’s and Women’s kayak, and Junior kayak. In order to participate, one must have a current member-ship in our Cottagers’ Association, SDLCA.

The original prizes in 1967 and 1968 were birch bark trophies, hand crafted by Jack’s wife, Betty Thompson. Then, the following year actual trophies were awarded. In 1972 paddles were first awarded.

Ever since 1971, every participant has received a crest, and many people proudly display these on their cottage walls. In 1987, John Leonard designed a new crest in honour of the 20th anniversary of the race. In 1994, John changed the crest once again, depicting a man and woman paddling. Since then, the design has not changed much except for the dates and colours.
It was in 1992 that the now-coveted paddles, hand painted by renowned artist John Leonard, were first awarded. John has continued to donate his skill and talent to this day.

Safety has always been of paramount concern. Rob and his crew would always run the river prior to race day and clear any obstacles. Before the launch of the first boats, Rob or one of his team would go over the rules and brief the paddlers on any con-cerns. The venue for the race had to change three years ago in 2014 when a series of log jams made the river impassible. Given that there had never been a serious accident in the race, the organizers felt that to run it under such conditions would be courting disaster. Thus, the decision was made to move the race to the lake in the interest of contin-ued safety for all participants. The fact that we now have a viable landing on the lake made the move possible. Remember, back in 1967, there was no landing.

There are pros and cons to running the race on the lake. The first pro is the safety of the participants, the sec-ond is that all cottagers can enjoy watching it from the comfort of their docks or porches, and the third ad-vantage is that transporting your canoe or kayak from your cottage to the starting point is much simpler. An-other advantage is that the Bar-b-cue and Children’s Games can now be held at the Irondale Community Cen-tre, which also did not exist in 1967. The biggest disadvantage to racing on the lake is that it is a hard slog, especially if it’s windy. There is no current to help you on your way. There are some who say that the race is no longer the same; it is not as much fun paddling on the lake as on the river, but when one considers that the primary reasons for holding a race at all were to increase the sense of community at the lake and to commem-orate a significant birthday for the nation, the race, whether on the river or the lake, fulfills its function. For this, our 50th anniversary year, we do not yet know where the race will be held. Rest assured, Rob and his team will ensure that wherever it is held, it will be a safe and positive experience for all.

The current executive of SDLCA hopes that in this our 50th year of running the race, every-one will come out to support it, either as par-ticipants or as cheerleaders, both onshore and at the Bar-b-cue and Games afterwards. Mark the date, August 6, in your calendars and be sure to tell all your friends. It would be great to have 50 boats in the 50th race!