St. George race opens canoe season today

Paddlers from across the state will kick off the canoeing season in earnest today with the running of the St. George River Race in Searsmont.

The six-mile race features 1 1/2 miles of Class II white water and one Class III drop, and will start at 11 a.m. Registration is set for the Searsmont Town Hall from 8:30-10:30 a.m.

Race director Dale Cross said Friday that the water level is a little low, but Friday’s mild weather did bring a little more runoff to the river.

“It’s good paddling for most of the river,” said Cross, who trained on the course on both Thursday and Friday. “You certainly get down through.”

But Cross said the rapids could cause some trouble for the uninitiated.

“It’s not user-friendly unless you can move your boat a little,” he said.

Last year, Robert Lang of Renforth, New Brunswick, topped the field in his kayak, turning in a time of 38 minutes, 5 seconds despite low water conditions.

Kenduskeag’s Kenny Cushman chased Lang to the wire, finishing in 38:50.

Cross said more 80 craft had preregistered, which was more than had done so last year. The ’96 edition saw 200 boats finish the race.