Records could fall at Kenduskeag Race

With two days remaining until the 35th Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race, Tracy Willette said the words that will make everyone – paddler and river vulture alike – sit up and take notice.

“I’m going with the anticipation that we might set some records,” said Willette, Bangor’s superintendent of recreation.

For the uninitiated, Willette’s not making his prediction because of the hard training the paddlers have been putting in. He’s not expecting an influx of new, faster racers.

He’s talking about one thing: Water.

High, roiling, knock-you-out-of-your-boat water.

That’s because during dry years, the Kenduskeag Stream turns into a bleak, bony waterway clogged with rocks and marked by long stretches of arm-fatiguing flat water.

On wet years, the Kenduskeag roars. And so do the vultures – the hundreds of spill-seeking fans who flock to the natural amphitheater at Six Mile Falls.

“This year the water level is such that I think it will be a little easier to get through the flat water section because there’s more movement to the water,” Willette said.

And when the racers get to the technical sections, watch out.

“On Saturday, with the weather that’s been forecast, I think it’s gonna be a fun course,” Willette said.

The race begins in Kenduskeag Village at 8:30 a.m., but racers are expected to attend an informational briefing at 8. Preregistered paddlers can pick up their race packets (and race-day entrants can sign up) from 6:30 to 8 a.m.

Willette said 400 people in about 250 craft had registered as of Wednesday afternoon, and he expects more than 800 paddlers to enter.

The race has become a popular harbinger of spring in Bangor, as experienced paddlers and once-a-year thrill-seekers work their way down the 16-mile course.

“The folks who started this race back in the late ’60s had a good thing,” Willette said. “I think it’s developed a tradition that folks look for each year. They never do a race again the entire year, but many try to do the Kenduskeag.”

Willette said organizers are keeping an eye on the stream, and have consulted the tide tables for Saturday.

Back in 1999, the race’s finish line had to be changed because the Kenduskeag is affected by the tides of the Penobscot River. Racers were unable to fit underneath the bridges where the Kenduskeag passes through downtown Bangor.

“It generally takes about 45 minutes for the tide to go out [enough that paddlers can make it under the bridges],” Willette said.

“If we have to delay [the start], we will. But we’re not planning to right now,” said Willette, who pointed out that high tide will come at 10 a.m.