Dealing with ice and cold temperatures

NYMCRA Team Finishes First in Class in Yukon River Quest

By John Vermilyea

During one of our episodic mind wanderings over the course of the 2011 Yukon 1000 canoe race, we came up with a question that would burn in my mind for years: Why were there no C4's in the Yukon? A tripping canoe of 23’ designed for four paddlers, it seemed to be a perfect craft to paddle and even race the Yukon River in. Given the popularity of the C4 class in New York State, I was relatively surprised that the class didn't even seem to exist in the Yukon Territory.

Thus began several subsequent years of emails querying various board members and petitioning race committees' about the possible future inclusion of C4's in Yukon races. We were turned away several times before finally achieving success in August 2016 following the success of adding a SUP class. We were being given a chance to enter our C4's in the 2017 Yukon River Quest, a 440 mile race from Whitehorse, YT to Dawson City! The only caveat being that we would have to compete in the Voyageur class, meaning we would be up against 6 and 8 person boats. Better than nothing; at least we were in and still able to compete for prize money! 

Known as the "Race to the Midnight Sun," the YRQ is the longest annual canoe race in the world and this year’s field was comprised of 100 registered boats, 89 of them showing up to race. Roughly 230 paddlers from 13 countries were standing on the starting line at Rotary Park in Whitehorse on June 28th. Single and tandem kayaks, solo/tandem/voyageur canoes, and SUPs were lined up along the waterfront on race day, ready to test their mettle on the mighty Yukon River.

The race is divided into three distinct segments. The first segment is about 180 miles with the famed Lake Laberge located several hours from the start in Whitehorse. There is then a mandatory 7 hour safety layover at a campground in the First Nation settlement of Carmacks. Then it’s back on the water for another 160 miles or so to a second safety stop. This one is in an extremely isolated location and is only a 3 hour stop. The third and final segment is a marathon 100 mile sprint to the finish in Dawson City.

Now, putting our money where our mouths were, we decided to assemble 2 boats worth of personnel and gear to at least ensure there would be 2 boats entered. We were pleased to see 2 more additional boats entered as C4 from other parts of the country so felt pretty well about the prospects for a healthy competition.

Coordinating efforts to build 2 mixed teams , the pit crew to assist(2 per boat), as well as arranging 2 people to drive the boats all the way there and back proved a daunting task. Despite the fact that canoeists are about as easy to herd as cats, it somehow all came together. Our international efforts really shined here as we had amongst us crew from as far away as Belgium and England in addition to New York and Pennsylvania. We even managed to stay on task losing both a paddler and a support crew member to injuries, including one nasty spider bite on the way out! Finding a replacement paddler for a race such as this is easier said than done, especially on short notice. Fortune was on our side and we had someone not only willing, but actually quite eager, to join us.

The boats and crew began arriving in Whitehorse a full week ahead of the race, giving ample time to hit the waters of the Yukon with mixed variations of the actual teams paddling beforehand. I think a total of 5 trips down the upper section to Takhini allowed an excellent sample of what to expect under race conditions. Our Spray Skirt construction had occupied a good deal of pre race preparations in the spring so it was nice to see how well they functioned. They exceeded all expectations and our Savage River C4's really shined beneath them. Space is a little more of a premium in a C4 vs. the Voyageurs we have competed in the past in, however creative use of smaller dry bags ensured well trimmed and organized boats. 

The balance of our pre race time was spent organizing the required gear, purchasing food and sampling the local color. The nearby First Nations’ Cultural Center was having a traditional boatbuilding seminar with 4 separate watercraft being built along the water during our stay. It was fascinating to see traditional boatbuilding methods such as dugout, birchbark and skin on frame still being kept alive.

The meet and greet with racers and officials festively got things underway Monday evening with a drum ceremony from the some of the First Nations folks, highlighting the many indigenous territories we would be passing thru. Weather forecasts were calling for a nice stretch of weather for the entire week, giving us all confidence in what we might expect, particularly from Lake Laberge, which is quite capable of delivering nasty paddling conditions. Water levels seemed high near Whitehorse but we were assured that they were actually below normal, as we would see further down the river. 

Tuesday was a very busy day, registration and gear check in the morning followed by mandatory racer and pit crew logistics and safety meetings with officials to go over the particulars. We had official measurements taken of our boats as these were the first Savage River Saranacs' the Yukon had seen. Map books, first aid kits, emergency gear and SPOT devices were all checked over by race officials. This was the first of several "Gear Checks" we would be subjected to, these checklists ensuring that all racers begin and end the race with the same gear. Last minute food was picked up and it was early to bed as it is an early start on race day despite the official start being noon.

Boat lineup along the river began at 7am with another gear check to follow. This is where reality really set in; anything forgotten or missed at this point was not going to be rectified. This is the point where I turned on my GPS to find that my routes and topographic maps, painstakingly created by another team member, had all somehow magically disappeared. With no time to work out a backup plan, I was stuck with the reality that navigation to the maps would have to be done from the back of the boat only. A collective "No-Biggie" from the rest of our crew gave me confidence in our ability to read the river to stay in currents, even though it gets pretty tricky in places below the White River confluence. I was able to get the GPS to function as a speedometer/odometer/timekeeper so we could manage the currents and that seemed adequate. We opted to not run a GPS at all until after Lake Laberge, the route until then being pretty straightforward. This would help us conserve battery power for the one functional GPS in the stern, allowing for batteries to be changed at the Carmacks rest stop versus trying to change them on the water.

A small ceremony featuring First Nations drums and traditional dances kicked things off followed by a Lemans start of a quarter mile run to the boats at the stroke of noon. The weather was cool and overcast but the threat for rain seemed low. This run got our hearts moving, followed by a bit of chaos as all boats hit the water hoping for a strong start. We opted to jog quickly versus sprinting to be the first boat on the water. This proved a good strategy as we quickly overcame the sprinters and were at the front of the pack after only a mile or two. We ultimately set pace with a K2 and a C2 and worked our way across the lake together with only a men’s voyageur out in front of us. 

The massive Lake Laberge was very kind to us this year, with a light tailwind blowing us north the 31 or so miles toward the river again. We made great time, getting to Lower Laberge much quicker than anticipated. Years past we have seen everything from 4+ foot waves and headwinds one year, to mirror flat conditions with raging heat on another, both of which seemed to suck the life out of our progress. These breezes kept our pace up and we were invigorated to reach the end of the lake as quickly as we did. Overcast conditions with breaks of sun really made conditions perfect.

The boost of current came quickly after entering the river again and we made good time through Hootalinqua. We entered the river with another C4 team but quickly made time on them. We set a pattern and pace at this point that hopefully would allow us to gain on the 3 boats in front of us and put some distance on the boats behind us. The overnight monitoring checkpoints of Big and Little Salmon came and went and we enjoyed some faster water sections as the cooler night air made us all snug up our spray skirts and pull on jackets and hats. We attempted to get some music playing from a MP3 player we brought along but couldn’t get the battery pack to function after about 30 minutes. It was a great motivator while it lasted though!

It is 180miles to the first mandatory safety stop of seven hours. I often refer to this stop as the half-way point despite it not nearly being such. The reason for that is how the race is structured, this being the longest individual "segment." Its excruciatingly difficult to manage the last 30-40 miles no matter how prepared you are; sleep deprivation, exertion, overnight cold temperatures, etc all seem to wreak havoc on your soul as you grind out the last few hours to Carmacks. 

Reaching Carmacks is really an accomplishment unto itself, we were almost as happy to get here as we would be at the finish (well, maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration!). The awesome volunteer dock attendants are there to help paddlers up the bank as many can't manage to get their legs to function and rocking "vertigo" seems to leave many off balance. None of us were exempt from this and were happy to have someone there to assist. This is where having a strong pit crew shines, beds and meals were ready and waiting along with Canadian "Loonies" for the showers. One advantage to being in the front of the pack is that there is not a line at the showers! A hot soaking shower is a good indicator of where you may have hot-spots on your body and boy do they feel like fire! I had a small paper cut on one hand that had torn open into a full sized wound on one hand and had lost feeling in another finger tip. Other then that I just wanted to sleep. But not before an AMAZING cup of piping hot chicken broth. Amazing, the simplest things under the right conditions make all the difference in the world.

Lying down on my cot I slipped quickly into unconsciousness. The floor seemed to "move" under me which left me with the sensation that I was still in a boat. I awoke several hours later, unsure of where I even was. I emerged into a "tent city" as many paddlers had arrived while we were sleeping and I somehow managed to find the RV we had for cooking meals. Here I found a tremendous spread of food cooked up as well as plenty of hot coffee. Our food supplies and water had been replenished while we slept so we really just needed to get in the boat and paddle. But not before another gear inspection! 

There is an official countdown to re-launching to ensure everyone is off the water the exact same amount of time and we pushed off without a second to spare. Back underway, it was time to knuckle down and go. This 160 mile segment is a little easier to manage mentally; there are many landmarks that you can subdivide to make it a little less daunting. It’s a lot easier to say "15 miles to Five Finger Rapids" or "5 miles to Rink Rapids" then it is to say "150 miles to Coffee Creek."

We shot the Five Finger and Rink rapid sections without fanfare and moved quickly through Minto, Hells Gate and into the overnight segment below Fort Selkirk. This night we were treated to a beautiful sunset around midnight and gorgeous coloring to the wispy clouds as the dusky night skies brought cool breezes. 

We had some amazing conversations during this segment to kill time along with some light hearted philosophizing on everything from family life to religion. That was until we realized the women’s Voyageur that was 12 minutes behind us at Carmacks had split the distance! With 10 or 12 miles to Coffee Creek we opted to sprint the distance to try to open the lead back up a bit and believe we did so, although I think I was already asleep by the time they arrived! 

The Coffee Creek mandatory stop is a really just a small mining camp with a dock, a plywood latrine, a giant tarp to sleep under and a small food serving area. Here they had hot coffee, soups and sandwiches. We lucked out in that there was a small wall-tent off to one side that was vacant when we arrived so we quickly jumped in, plenty of room for all four of us and drifted off for a very short cat-nap. I slept like a rock here but the 3 hour layover was over all too quickly and then it’s back to it for a hundred mile run to the finish. I kept dreaming there was an alarm clock going off in my head but still managed the best sleep of the trip here. 

Coffee Creek...The best 2 hours of sleep I ever had....

We had strategized before the stop that we would get back on the water and sprint for three hours to try to put some distance on the voyageur behind us and that got us back to life quickly. Refreshed by the sprinting we also were able to take in some local wildlife or "Charismatic Mega Fauna" as it was referred to by someone at the pre-race meeting. Hardly "mega," the bear and moose we saw were just youngsters, although I'm sure the "mega" parents weren't far off! The bear was actually swimming across the river in front of us. We didn’t get close enough to draft, plus I’m not sure what the race rules say about drafting the wildlife anyway!

The White River and Stewart River confluences both introduce a lot of silt to the river, and you can hear it "scouring" the boat as you paddle. This segment gets quite braided and it becomes challenging to follow the faster currents. What appears to be the "best" direction is not always the case and it gets tempting to try to take shortcuts, risky moves as often there is so much current loss that the longer route around the outside may actually be the faster choice. 

We opted to just follow the main currents as they bounced from one side to the other and were quickly past the Sixty Mile River which is the final monitoring point before Dawson. This segment requires sharp attention as fatigue sets in well before reaching the end, especially when you consider we only got a 3 hour break in between 150 and 100 mile segments! The last 30 miles here are nearly as mentally challenging as the section leading into Carmacks, although maybe not quite as you know that you don’t have to get back in the boat after reaching Dawson! 

At about this point my mind started to drift toward mathematics. Simple math...Specifically, the math required to determine our projected arrival in Dawson and its correlation to restaurant closing times. One of my primary timing goals for this race is to be able to eat at Klondike Kate’s' before it closed on Friday night. This years' chances were looking pretty likely! We closed in on Dawson, with its beautiful Moosehide slide coming into view about 5 or six miles out and also noticed that the women Voyageur had again closed the gap, they were in sight of us! 

That’s all we needed to see to set the final sprint in motion, it became a major source of motivation to get the two women in our boat the first across the finish line! We opened up a final small gap between us and crossed the finish line at 45 hours 48 minutes and 16 seconds, almost 8 minutes in front of the next boat. Pretty close, considering the distance! Nerve wracking as it was, it was helpful to have the next boat so close behind us, what better motivation is there? Complacency happens out there when the competition is out of sight. 

Final gear checks and a quick recap with our amazing pit crew; we loaded the vehicle with our boat gear and the boat and headed up to our cabin for hot showers, knowing we had plenty of time to sit down for dinner. Then it was back down to the water to watch our other NY C4 team finish. They looked great coming in and we couldn’t wait to hear about their journey.

My paper cut was now a full blown weeping flesh wound that required several weeks to heal and I still don’t have feeling in my left pointer finger but other than that the main issues were focused around fatigue and depletion after covering the distance.

We spent the rest of the weekend in wild Dawson celebrating Canada’s' 150th birthday and replacing lost calories. Saturday evening was a "night on the town" where the Sour Toe cocktail club gained a few members. The banquet on Sunday got us all our certificates and finisher pins and some group recognition for each other’s accomplishments before heading our separate ways. We had a long ride back to Whitehorse, many of us departing Monday morning, sad that it was over but elated at our accomplishments. A small group headed off to Alaska for a few days of sightseeing and the folks who drove began the long journey eastward.

We were the fourth boat overall, second voyageur, and first place mixed voyageur.  Ashley Cary and Teresa Stout were the first women to complete the 2017 race and we were the first C4 to ever finish the race. Ultimately all 4 of the C4's finished within the top 20 and our other NY team came in at 50 hours and some change. Quite respectable for a class that didn't exist here a year ago!

The contributions and efforts put forth by our pit crew cannot be overstated. A race of this magnitude simply cannot be done efficiently without good support and this team really pulled out all of the stops for us. We certainly would not have finished as well as we did without their well executed preparations.

I was very pleased at the C4 teams overall performance and sincerely hope that given our own class next year, we have opened up the opportunity for others to enter and really prove that C4 is the ultimate craft to race the Yukon River Quest in! I predict that the course canoe record will eventually be held by a C4.

Teams, listed bow to stern:

#62- Paul Repak, Holly crouch, Eileen Visser, Francis Soenen

#65- Jon Vermilyea, Teresa Stout, Ashley Cary, Ben Schlimmer

Pit Crew:

Vivien Maiden, Kitty Leonard, Pam Repak, Lorraine Turturro, David Haas