Monday, May 26, 2008

Surprise Wildhog Canoe Race Pictures

I posted about the Wildhog Canoe Race about a month ago. Junior and I competed as a team in the grueling race down the Waccasassa River.

Since it's a race, on water, with many, many portages over logs and rocks, I am never able to get photos of the event. There's no time for photos while you are hustling for 3 hours so I don't even bother with the camera.

So, I was pretty stoked when a Mom of one of my students sent me these shots last week.
She was at the finish line and when her daughter said, "Look! It's Mr. FC!", she blasted off a series of the final seconds of the race.

She gave them to me as prints and I've scanned them, so the sharpness may be a little soft, but she did such a good job of capturing our antics at the end, I thought I'd share them with you.


At the end of the race, just before the finish line, you must toss your canoe over this log and clamber over it yourself too.
When we shoved the canoe over, it took off all by itself and empty.
The finish line is only a few meters ahead and you have to be in the canoe when it crosses.


We desperately chased the canoe through the waist deep water.

(Interesting fact #1: water is 800 times thicker than air.)


When we caught up with the canoe, we both jumped in at the same time from the same side.
Yup ...you guessed it.

After at least 30 successful portages and no capsizing during the tough part of the race, we flipped it right at the finish line!


Lucky for us the bow of the canoe had crossed the line just as we were flipping!

Success and a second place win in our division.

I think we earned it.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

LOL, great shots! Were you able to do any actual canoeing? :)

David said...

That's a great series of shots!

roger said...

you can keep your hat on......

nice finish.

threecollie said...

Terrific stuff. Looks like you had a lot of fun...lol

Anonymous said...

Congratulations! Looks like a good, if wet, time was had by all. LOL

Anonymous said...

If I had Junior in my canoe as I approached that log, I'd have him jump out and lift the lighter end of the log so I could glide under it. Then he could leap in the canoe for the last sprint to the finish line.

If they haven't made a rule prohibiting it, then you wouldn't be breaking a rule, right?

I'm glad you go these pix and decided to share them with us.

Anonymous said...

I thought of you when I crossed that river on the way home from Pensacola a few weeks ago. Sounds like tons of fun. Thanks for sharing.

kathy a. said...

great photos! a hard-won prize!

how's little gumbo-pup?

Anonymous said...

Now some of those dudes were uniquely height-gifted. I know Junior made it over the logs just fine at the end but did he look back and ask, "canoe?" Yaw really stroke it rich with these pics, bro! I don't think yoke ould have had a better day given that exhaustion tried to thwart your plans to hull. With more than a rock or log or root or skeeter nest you must take a good Bangor two. I know you boat wooden miss it for the world and you're probably gunwale do it next year, too... Good times. Congratulations again!

p.s. one little tip on staying upright... oh never mind.

R.Powers said...

Laura,
They should call it the Wild Hog Canoe Carry Race.

David,
She did a good job didn't she?

roger,
i must have had it really crammed on because it stayed on for the rollover.

3C,
Tons of fun!

Dee,
We were fairly dry until the finish!
:)

Pablo,
I like your plan.
Maybe next year!

Cathy S,
Tres fun. That's a long ride isn't it?

Kathy A,
Gumbo has been incommunicado at the vet hospital since Friday. We will check on him tomorrow.
I'll update.


Freste,
I'm not worthy.

Thunder said...

You do realize that probably the reason that incident happened was because someone was finally filming you! ;-)

R.Powers said...

Thunder,
I think you may have a point!

Deb said...

What a great photo sequence, I was laughing out loud!

Doug Taron said...

Her action shots are almost as good as yours. It looks like it was a lot of fun.

lej619 said...

those were great pictures!! LOL