The South Dakota Kayak Challenge - 2013

The third running of the South Dakota Kayak Challenge got underway this morning at 7:00 a.m.  The 72-mile race on the Missouri River began at Riverside Park in Yankton and concluded at Sioux City, Iowa.

The paddlers gather for the race at Riverside Park

Heading for the Beach

As I left Sioux Falls at 4:30 a.m. and headed south down I-29 to the Vermillion exit, the wind was out of the southeast and there was sheet lightening off in the distant south.  The sky was overcast, and the temperature was in the low 50s.  It did not look very promising for a 72-mile river cruise heading southeast from Yankton to Sioux City.

Boats Moving into Position

Pat Wellner getting ready to depart

By the time I arrived in Yankton about 6:00 a.m., the conditions had improved markedly.  While the sky was still overcast, the waters at Riverside Park were calm.  By 7:00 a.m., the skies had become partly cloudy and the sun was peeking out.  The temperature had climbed up to 61 degrees on the downtown bank thermometer by the time the fleet left.

Jarett Bies counting down the final minutes

Race Officials Conferring

SD Kayak Challenge officials included Jarett Bies, Steven Dahlmeier, and Cory Diedrich.  These leaders were supported by a large group of volunteers, many who have served in previous races.

The fleet was made up of 129 boats for the race this year.  The craft ranged from sleek surf-skis to short recreational boats and included both tandem and solo canoes and kayaks.

A Racing Tandem Canoe

Electronics and Hydrating Equipment

The VFW Provided an Honor Guard to Start the Race with a Rifle Volley

Some of the racers were within a competitive class, and they were serious athletes in excellent shape and usually equipped with sophisticated electronic equipment in their vessels to monitor location along the course and rate of speed. This class of paddler often also had a hydrating system to keep liquids flowing as they streaked along.

The Fleet About to Take Off from Riverside Park

Underway

Those paddlers who were in the competitive class were provided an opportunity to gather upstream of the departure beach so that they could have an “on-water” departure.  The bulk of the fleet left from the beach. 

Soon, the 129 boats were underway and heading downstream in a rapidly spreading group that quickly became differentiated. The sleekest boats and strongest paddlers moved into the lead as they made for the first checkpoint 18.4 miles downstream.

Most of the paddlers were in the race simply to participate and stretch themselves.  For most, just finishing the race was the objective.  Some of the boats were short recreational kayaks of just 10 to 12 feet.  While most were solo paddlers, there were also quite a few tandems, both twin cockpit kayaks and canoes. 

The first checkpoint for the race was Myron Grove, 18.4 miles downstream on the South Dakota side of the river. By 9:15 or so, the first boats were passing through CP #1. After the sendoff from Riverside Park, I headed to CP #1 and watched the first 25 boats pass through. Most of the paddlers just came by the dock, affirmed that their number had been noted, and cruised past for the next 12.1 mile segment to CP #2. Few of these lead paddlers came ashore at this point. There are a total of four checkpoints on the race before ending up at “Bev’s on the River” in Sioux City. 

Motorboats had been enlisted to serve as safety vessels along the route.  In addition, the Yankton/Vermillion Amateur Radio Club (Hams) members were providing communication services with their portable radios.

For additional information on the history of the SDKC, the following URL is recommended: http://sdkayakchallenge.org/about.htm. 

For those interested in viewing the complete set of photographs for this narrative, please go to my Flickr account at the following URL: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jayheath/sets/72157633700304976/

South Dakota Kayak Challenge 2012

The 2012 South Dakota Kayak Challenge got underway this morning at 7:00 a.m. with 158 kayaks and canoes departing from Riverside Park in Yankton bound for Sioux City, Iowa, 72 miles downstream on a free-flowing natural section of the Missouri River.

The Challenge began and continues as a project managed by Jarett Bies and Steven Dahlmeier in association with a number of companies and agencies, the South Dakota Kayak and Canoe Association among them. The first race took place in 2010 with 90 kayaks and canoes participating.  There was a second race planned for 2011, but it had to be canceled because of the heavy flow of water through the dam system as floods advanced along the Missouri River. 

This second edition of the Challenge got underway this morning with a 50 percent increase in participation over 2010.  The day began at Riverside Park in Yankton with a stiff head wind, grey overcast skies, and a chill in the air.  People were wearing jackets as they got their equipment in place

Pat Wellner - "Pirates of the Missouri" Blog: http://www.piratesofthemissouri.com/

Boats were stacked in three ranks along the riverbank as they prepared for a send-off by the Yankton VFW color guard with their rifles as starting guns.  Steven Dahlmeier served as the Beach Master getting boats entered on his check list, Cory Diedrich, the Check Point Boss, organized his large corps of volunteers who manned the check points and assisted in a variety of organizational and logistical tasks, and Jarett Bies officially started the race.

Cory Diedrich and Steven Dahlmeier Checking In Boats

Jarett Bies Starting the Race

Steven Dahleier Explaining the Procedures

Cory Diedrich - Check Point Boss

There was a great variety of boats entered in the race, including sleek surf skies, long fast kayaks, tandem canoes and kayaks, a stand-up surf ski, and single kayaks of many shapes and lengths.

There were several classes into which the racers could enter their craft.  Paddlers came from a number of states, some as far away as North Carolina and Texas.  Some of the paddlers were highly competitive, and their boats were sleek and fast; a few others were novice paddlers and some were even in nine-foot recreational boats.   At Check Point 1, there was a spread of almost four hours between the first boats through and the last ones to arrive.

Within just a few minutes, the armada of boats had cleared the park area and fanned out across the water.  The first of four check-points was Myron Grove, just over 18.4 miles downstream on the South Dakota side.

Joe Zellner of Grand Marais, MN, first place in the SDKC, passing Check Point 1

The first boat across Check Point 1 was a single kayak that made the trip in just over two hours. The experienced and competitive racers did not stop at the first check-point and instead just confirmed their assigned number and continued downstream toward the second check-point, 12.1 miles further down on the Nebraska side. 

Other paddlers stopped for a breather or a refill on their water.  Some rested for a while before continuing.  By this first check-point, however, thirteen paddlers had decided to drop out of the race.

My volunteer role this year was to assist at the send-off where needed and then to serve as one of the officials at Check Point 1.  A team of us recorded the numbers and times for paddlers as they passed through.

By noon, the day had improved markedly; the sun was out, jackets were flung off, and the wind seemed to subside, at least in the shelter of the check-point. 

The major purpose of the Challenge is for paddlers to stretch themselves on the big waters of the Missouri River.  The challenge is to test one’s self in the face of a large river with a variety of wind and current conditions.  Most of the paddlers have no intention to win the race; they are just out on the water having fun with a large group of people with the same goals.  There are, however, some paddlers for whom the race is a personal challenge with a strong sense of competition involved.  That is why, of course, there are several classes within the Challenge.

This is the greatest paddling event that we have in South Dakota, and it rivals other endurance river races in neighboring states.  The success of this effort is directly linked to the strong leadership corps that made it all possible.  It is a great collaboration of many agencies within the state working together to further the sport of paddling.

As I looked at the paddlers getting ready to set off into the teeth of that SE head wind and the grey skies, I was glad to be a volunteer rather than a racer.  After all, I am an old man, and hopefully I realize my limitations.  By the time I watched the boats pass at Myron Grove, though, I wished that I were moving along with the pack.  Maybe another time, I will go on the first stage – just do the 18.4 miles in a respectable time and enjoy that sense of accomplishment and inclusion. Maybe I can say that I just want to go along and get some on-water photographs.  Or, maybe I will just let that enthusiasm pass and serve as a volunteer check-point official again.

Details of the race can be found on the following sites:

http://sdkayakchallenge.org/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/South-Dakota-Kayak-Challenge/74472547629?ref=ts

My complete set of photographs from Riverside Park through the Myron Grove Check Point can be seen at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jayheath/sets/72157629908956224/

South Dakota Kayak Challenge

This weekend, the long planned South Dakota Kayak Challenge was held: a race beginning at Yankton’s Riverside Park along the Missouri River, south of the last dam on the river, and ending at Sioux City, Iowa. Like many others, I had the opportunity to serve as a volunteer on this race, an event that drew over 90 kayaks and canoes for the 36-hour race.

The race was planned and managed under the leadership of Jarett Bies, vice president of the South Dakota Canoe and Kayak Association (SDCKA), and Steven Dahlmeier, president of the SDCKA. I arrived at Riverside Park in Yankton about 6:15 a.m. in time to do a few minor jobs as the race was nearing the 7:00 a.m. start. The sight of all the paddlers assembling, the boats lined up on the shoreline, and Jarett Bies giving television interviews was enough to make me wish that I were among the paddlers. Thinking of 70 miles of paddling into a southeast head wind gave me pause, and, on second thought, I was glad that I did not have to try and prove myself in these circumstances. I am a geezer, after all, and doing my checkpoint assignment was probably enough.

At 7:00 a.m., a military sendoff was signaled with a “cannon shot,” and the 90 boats surged off the beach and set out for the first checkpoint, 17.25 miles away at the Myron Grove public access area, also known locally as “Highlines.” My first official assignment was working under the direction of the “Checkpoint Boss Cory Diedrich at Checkpoint 1.

At the checkpoints, there were generally three volunteers working. My role was to verify the boat number and name, my colleagues at the checkpoint then checked them off on the official racing forms and noted the time of arrival at the checkpoint. We had ice and water available at the checkpoints, and another one or two volunteers filled orders for the racers. With my binoculars, I would note the boats in the distance and then call out the names and numbers as the racers arrived. Many of the paddlers came ashore to stretch their legs and take on more water and ice. Some of the very serious racers had their own support teams at the checkpoints to offer advice, encouragement, and pass food and liquids to the paddlers.

All the paddlers had passed the first checkpoint by about 11:30 or so, and I moved on to the third checkpoint, about 40 miles down from the starting point. By 12:15, the first racer had passed Checkpoint 3, and a few of the most hardy and well-equipped racers arrived within the next 15 to 30 minutes. I stayed at Checkpoint 3 until about 6:45 p.m., and only three boats had not arrived. Checkpoint Boss Cory relieved those of us who had been on this site since noon, and he planned to spend the night there. Jarett and Steven had moved on down to Checkpoint 4 and then to the finish line, points where the action was most intense. By Checkpoint 3, about 7 people had dropped out of the race.

There were a variety of boats in the race. There were sleek surf skies that were long, narrow sit-on-top types of kayaks with all the accouterments for racing, including a mounted gps system and trip computer and a built in water container with tubes running through the deck so that the paddlers could sip as they moved along. A number of touring kayaks were in the race, perhaps 17 feet long or so with a rudder and experienced paddlers that looked ready for the race. Then there were a surprising number of recreational kayaks, many only 10-12 feet long and paddlers with no sprayskirt or rudder. A few canoes were in the race, some serious looking canoes that looked race-ready, and other more common looking tandem canoes. I did not see a solo canoe in the event. There was a Hobie Cat kayak with the pedal drive system, “MirageDrive fins.” One guy in a touring kayak was using a single paddle, which he told me worked better with the wind conditions. Some people traveled from Canada, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Iowa to join the South Dakota paddlers.

The wind was from 20-30 mph, right into the face of paddlers as they headed southeast down the river, and the temperature was about 90 degrees. The river is quite wide along this route, and the trees provided something of a lee at various points. Paddlers told me, though, that unfortunately the lee conditions were not in the flow of the main current, and it did not help much. Some paddlers told me that without paddling, the wind blew them upstream.

By Checkpoint 3, the fastest paddlers were three hours ahead of the pack. I admire the strength and endurance of these hardy racers: they are truly athletes of the first order. But, I think that I admire even more the ordinary paddlers in their slow, tubby, short kayaks who ploughed on into the wind and were able to eat up the miles through their steady efforts. Few of the racers had any illusion of winning the race; they just wanted to be part of the event and to challenge themselves through participation. This, then, was a race for the most competitive paddlers as well as a great event for the “everyman” sort of paddler – paddlers like me.

For further details on how the race turned out, check out the South Dakota Canoe and Kayak Association club blog at http://sdcka.blogspot.com or the club Facebook page. One of the Sioux City television stations and South Dakota Public Broadcasting covered the story. The SDPB cameraman told me that the story of the race will be presented in a program airing in October.