Canoeists and kayakers sought for Sydenham River race

A nearly 50-year-old canoe and kayak race returns April 30 to the Sydenham River.

The race dates back to 1974 and is organized by the St. Clair Region Conservation Authority and its foundation to support conservation education programs, while also highlighting the Sydenham River.

There was a pause in 2020 and 2021 because of the pandemic.

“We did decide to go ahead with it last year in 2022 mostly because it’s a fully outdoor event and we switched to online registration to try and minimize that person to person contact,” said coordinator Melissa Levi. “We felt comfortable we could run it safely.”

About 50 canoes and kayaks participated, Levi said.

“That was a pretty good turnout, we thought, for our first try — post-pandemic — and we’re hoping it’s even bigger still this year.”

Last year’s race raised about $5,000.

“Any amount fundraised is a bonus,” Levi said.

Many participants will seek out sponsors “and we do occasionally get some large donations,” she said. “All of it goes to supporting education.”

Registration through the authority’s website, www.scrca.on.cacloses April 26, but cash-only, in-person registration will be available the morning of the race between 10 am and 11 am The cost to participate is $10 per person.

The starting line is located at Mosside Line, just west of Country Road 79. A shuttle service will be available 10 am to 11 am between the start and finish line. Races start at 11:30 am

All classes and race lengths end at the Shetland Conservation Area located on Lambton County Road 2.

The race is recognized by the Ontario Marathon Canoe Kayak Racing Association and has 11 classes and three race lengths — from 7 km to 16 km — aimed at competitive and recreational paddlers.

There are trophies for winners of each race and the top fundraiser.

Participants must provide their own canoe or kayak equipped with a whistle, bailer and 50 feet of rope. Approved personal floatation devices or life-jackets must be worn.

“The majority of the folks out for the event are doing it for fun, for recreation,” Levi said.

There are “lots of families, lots of young people, lots of multiple generations in one boat, which is a lot of fun,” she said.

While the race has more classes for canoes, and they have made up the majority of the entries, “there have been more and more people coming with kayaks,” Levi said. “It’s becoming more popular among recreational paddlers.”

The Sydenham “is an important river for us as a conservation authority and we want to highlight it” and “encourages folks to come out and paddle on it,” she said.

“When we’re so close to big water, like Lake Huron and the St. Clair River, sometimes we forget about our smaller tributaries.”

The stretch of the Sydenham where the race is held “does get shallow later in the year” so that’s why the race is held early, Levi said.

“It depends on rainfall, but it’s a fairly gentle paddle so it’s not going to be too challenging for people who are coming out recreationally.”

The weather was “beautiful” on race day last year, Levi said.

Water levels in the Sydenham can fluctuate with heavy rainfall and races were canceled in 2018 and 2019.

“So, we’ve pushed the race date back by one week just to get through” the spring snow and ice melt “in the hopes we have a bit more stable water,” Levi said.

“It worked out last year, so we’re hopeful we’ll be good again this year.”

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