The Great Canoe Race!
by Denise Janus
Today we raced our 24-foot canoe with Foster Brown, head historical interpreter for Cleveland Metro Parks and their 22-foot replica canoe. The result? They not only won hands down, they did it beautifully without breaking a single bead of sweat. But let’s line up the stats:
LTU Cleveland Metro Parks
Canoe Length 24’ 22’
No. of Paddlers 6 4
Weight of Canoe 400 lbs 100 lbs
Weight of Paddlers 880 lbs 620 lbs
Weight of Cargo 200 lbs 20 lbs
Total Weight 1480 lbs 740 lbs
Weight/paddler 246.6 lbs 185 lbs
As you can clearly see, we were weighed down pretty significantly, and had to move more weight than our opponents. But hey, had we been in three-foot waves, WE would have won hands down!
We put in about 12 miles today and ended up in the Rocky River. Thank you to Bill Ryan, commissioner of Cleveland Metroparks, and his wife for letting us camp on their grounds. We slept at the foot of a waterfall, practically, which certainly helped me sleep peacefully!